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THE THEORY OF 
MAH JONG 



V 




THE THEORY OF 
MAH JONG 

ITS PRINCIPLES, PSYCHOLOGY, TACTICS, 
STRATEGIES, AND FINE POINTS, INCLUDING 
THE COMPLETE CHINESE RULES OF PLAY 

BY 

W. LOCK WEI 

Captain of China’s Davis Cup Tennis Team, 1924 


ASSISTED BY 

LAM PING LEUNG 

Columbia University 



BOSTON 

SMALL, MAYNARD & COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 



Q 1/12.99 

.H3W4 


COPTBIGHT, 1925 

By SMALL, MAYNARD & COMPANY 

(Incorporated) 



Printed in the United States of America 


THE MURRAY PRINTING COMPANY 
CAMBRIDGE, MA8S. 

THE BOSTON BOOKBINDING COMPANY 
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 




TABLE OF CONTENTS 

CHAPTER I 

Introduction. 3 

CHAPTER II 

Description of the Game. 5 

Names of the cards. 5 

Object of the game. 6 

The straight. 6 

Three of a kind. 8 

Four of a kind. 9 

Preliminaries to playing.10 

Drawing the original hands.11 

The game at play.11 

Calling and wooing.12 

Rounds of play.13 

Precedence.13 

CHAPTER III 

Settlement of Scores and Scoring Rules . . 14 

Settlement of scores between the players . . 15 

“Dead” hands.15 

Counters for settling scores.15 

The scoring chart.16 

Special complete hands.18 

Strict and liberal constructions.21 

Examples illustrating the scoring rules ... 23 

Penalties.26 

Flowers and Seasons.26 

v 





















vi 


TABLE OF CONTENTS 


CHAPTER IV 

Fundamental Principles.28 

Formations of cards.. 28 

What cards to discard.30 

The checking method.32 

Making use of the left-hand person’s discards . 32 

CHAPTER V 

Advanced Fundamental Principles .... 34 

Diagnosing your opponents’ plays . . 34 

The principle of versatility . 35 

The principle of flexibility . 36 

Calling as many chances as possible .... 39 

CHAPTER VI 

Miscellaneous Problems and Fine Points . 42 

Two processes of interchange of cards ... 42 

Why four of a kind is not always claimed . . 46 

Playing for safety . .„ . 46 

Winning on comparing scores . 47 

Outguessing the left-hand person ..... 47 

Conspicuousness, a failing factor.48 

While calling. .... 48 

How to fish the single eye . c .... 49 

Mental calculation . . 50 

CHAPTER VII 

Luck: Its Phenomena.51 

Superstition and luck. . 51 

Nature of luck.. 51 

The luck cycle .. 52 


















TABLE OF CONTENTS vii 

PAGE 

Luck as depending on individuals .... 53 

Facts substantiating the luck phenomena . . 53 

What some well-known writers on probabilities 

have to say.54 

CHAPTER VIII 

Application of Luck.56 

Blackbridge’s opinion.56 

Utilizing the period of good luck to the greatest 

extent.56 

How to lose the minimum in a state of ill luck . 58 

Changing of luck — mechanical means ... 59 

CHAPTER IX 

Some Speculative and Experimental Calcula¬ 
tions .62 

Some basic computations.62 

The average original hand calculated experiment¬ 
ally .62 

To determine the relative advantage and disad¬ 
vantage of retaining an honor in favor of 

some other tile.64 

Exceptions to the above rule ..66 

To determine the least number of cards of the 
same “numbers” suit on the original hand 
before trying for an all-one-suit hand 66 

Fallacy of consistent playing for high-scoring 

hands.67 

The improvement by the draws of the strong and 

weak hands is in inverse ratio.68 

Skill versus chance.68 













TABLE OF CONTENTS 


viii 


CHAPTER X 

Mah Jong Psychology. 

Subjective and objective observations 

Some most common indications of players* state 

of mind. 

Attitude of calling. 

Maintaining the right kind of attitude . 

Psychology of bystanders. 

Inductive and deductive reasonings .... 


70 

70 

71 

71 

72 
72 
72 


CHAPTER XI 

Mah Jong Methods .74 

“Cleared-Hand”.74 

“One-Double**.74 

Chinese method or “The Mixed Suit” ... 75 









THE THEORY OF 
MAH JONG 



CHAPTER I 


Introduction 

Two years have elapsed ^ince the Chinese game Mah 
Jong was first introduced into America. Along with the 
widespread popularity of the game, numerous articles, 
pamphlets and books on the subject have appeared. Too 
many volumes concerned solely with detailed instruc¬ 
tions of the game have already been written. While the 
authors agree that Mah Jong presents a vast field for 
the application of skill, none of them has yet given an 
exhaustive exposition of the principles of correct play. 

This volume is an elaborate treatise on the principles, 
theories, tactics, strategies and fine points of the game. 
While the application of skill constitutes its main theme, 
the part on instructions or rules of the game has received 
no little attention. In writing this part, I have in mind 
the rules given by American writers, and the heated 
controversy over the different codes in use. Almost every 
writer claims that his set is genuine; as a matter of fact, 
many mistakes and deviations from the Chinese rules 
can be found in each code. 

Inaccurate information of a different nature is also 
numerous. It is, however, beyond the scope of this 
treatise. Only one case will be mentioned here. There 
was a rumor, undoubtedly started by some manufacturers 
of Mah Jong sets in this country, that the Chinese played 
several different kinds of Mah Jong, the most notable 
of which were the “coolie” and the “official” games. 
“This dispute waxed hot and furious, and, according to 
gossip, frantic appeals were made to the Far Eastern 
Division of the State Department. It is reported that 
Mr. V. A. Murray, chief of the Division, and one of the 
technical advisers to the Washington Conference, spent 
3 


4 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


many weary days poring over the archives of the Ameri¬ 
can foreign office from the days of the late John Hay, 
clear on down through Robert Lansing and Bainbridge 
Colby to the dynasty of Charles E. Hughes, but had to 
give it up. Then the Chinese Legation was appealed to, 
and none other than His Excellency, Dr. Sao Ke Alfred 
Sze, Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary 
from the Republic of China to the United. States of 
America, settled the matter for all time by issuing an 
unofficial statement to the effect that there is only one 
Chinese Ma Chang game, call it what you will.” 1 

Enough has been said to make clear the object with 
which this work is written. There still remain several 
points to be mentioned. For the description of the game, 
which covers Chapters II and III, the terminology has 
been chosen on the principle of universality. Any method 
which aids the reader to grasp the meaning thoroughly 
justifies its place in the book; this naturally favors the 
adoption of those terms which are already in use. Chap¬ 
ters VII and VIII, devoted to “The Phenomena of Luck” 
and its application, contain expert opinion by Chinese 
players. The methods suggested for play during periods 
of good and ill luck are interesting and instructive. 

During the tennis season of 1924, I have had the 
pleasure of playing with and instructing a host of Mah 
Jong enthusiasts, both experts and novices, at Newport, 
Lenox and other cities, where my tournament program 
happened to take me. 

In solving their problems and answering their ques¬ 
tions, I have gathered much material for the discussion 
in the last chapter of this treatise. 


1 J. B. Powell, “ Ma Chang Invented in China Spreads'all Over the 
World.” The China Weekly Review, Vol. XXV, 5, p. 8. 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 9 

is not necessary to say anything, since otherwise it would 
be his turn to draw. 

Four of a Kind. As in other cases, the 4 cards must 
be in the same suit. 

Examples of four of a kind: 




* 

- F 


A hidden four of a kind. 
An exposed four of a kind. 


Four of a kind is not an essential part of the game; 
it does not in any way assist the possessor to complete 
his hand faster. Its function is to give the possessor some 
extra points. 

Four of a kind may be either hidden or exposed. By 
“hidden” we mean that the 4 cards are all drawn by 
oneself. An exposed four of a kind may be formed in one 
of two ways: (1) By securing the fourth card discarded by 
any player to the 3 already held in hand; (2)By drawing 
the fourth card to an exposed three of a kind. Four of a 
kind is termed a “kong.” 

Unlike the straight or three of a kind, a kong must 
be placed on the table, whether exposed or hidden. If 
the kong is not placed on the table, it can be counted as 
three of a kind only when someone wins. When one has a 
kong, he draws an extra card, called the “loose tile.” 
The loose tile is the first card on the other end of the 
wall. The loose tile is drawn because a kong makes the 
hand one card short. 

To kong is not obligatory. It is also permissible for 
the possessor to pung a fourth card but expose only three 
of a kind, retaining one card for any further purpose. 
If at any time he wants to claim the full points of a 
kong, he can add his card to the exposed 3 after 
any of his draws from the wall, and not after claiming a 
discard. 














10 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


Preliminaries to Playing 

Determining Players' Seats. Seats may be determined 
by any convenient method. A more formal way is the 
following procedure, which may be performed by any 
player: Shuffle the 4 discs and place each one face down 
on each side of the table. Each player takes one side 
of the table at random. Pick out 4 winds, shuffle them 
face down and place them in a row with one odd and 
one even “numbers” suit card at each end. Throw the 
dice once. The number thrown indicates the player 
who draws first, counting the thrower as one and counter¬ 
clockwise. If the number is odd, he draws the card from 
the end next to the odd “numbers” suit card; if even, he 
draws from the other end. The player at his right draws 
the next card, and so on. Then the discs are opened, 
and each player will find his seat, the player with the 
East Wind taking the seat where the East disc is, and 
so forth. 

Sometimes the first banker is decided at the same time 
by the above procedure. The player drawing the East 
seat will be the first banker. If not so agreed, the player 
drawing the East seat will then throw the dice twice. 
The total number minus one indicates who is to be the 
first banker. 

Building the Wall. The next thing is the building of 
the wall. The cards are all shuffled face down. Each 
player builds one side of the wall, 17 tiles long and 2 tiles 
high. 

Breaking the Wall. There are two ways of doing this. 

(1) The simple way. The banker throws the dice. 
The number thrown not only designates whose wall is 
to be broken, but also at what point it is to be opened. 
The count always starts with the banker as one and in a 
counterclockwise direction. For instance: if a 7 is thrown, 
the West Wind opens the wall by counting off 7 rows, 
starting from right to left. The following diagram shows 
the various numbers which may be thrown and the cor¬ 
responding walls to be broken. 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 

W 


11 


3. 7, 11 



© 



5, 9 


E or Banker 


The banker is always the East Wind; his right-hand person is the 
South Wind; his opposite person is the West Wind; his left-hand person 
is the North Wind. 

(2) The complex way. The banker throws the dice 
to determine whose wall is to be broken. Then the player 
whose wall is indicated throws again to decide at what 
point it is to be opened. The grand total of two throws 
designates this point. For instance: if a 7 is thrown, 
then West Wind throws again. If he throws an 8, then 
he counts off 15 rows. Of course, if the grand total of 
the two throws exceeds 17, the count is continued to the 
next wall. 

Drawing the Original Hands. As soon as the wall is 
opened, East Wind draws 2 rows or 4 cards from the left 
of the opening, followed by South Wind, West Wind and 
North Wind, until each has 12 cards. Then East Wind 
takes 2 more, the first and the third top cards; the other 
players take one each in their proper turn. 

The Game at Play. The game proceeds in a counter¬ 
clockwise direction; that is, East Wind starts the game 
first, followed by South Wind, then West Wind, then 



THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


North Wind, then East Wind again, and so on. East 
Wind, having one card more than the others on the 
original deal, discards first without making a draw. All 
discards are placed face up inside the walls. Then each 
player in his turn draws a card from the wall and discards 
one; this process goes round and round the table. When 
a player pungs or chows a discard, he does not draw any 
card from the wall, but proceeds to make a discard. The 
fact that one must have 13 cards at all times, except 
when he has a kong, explains why after a pung or a chow 
he cannot draw a card from the wall. It will be seen 
that after a pung, one or two players may lose their turns. 

By drawing, punging, and chowing, the four players are 
gradually improving their hands. When a player has 
organized four sets of cards and a pair, he has completed 
his hand and wins from the other three players. After the 
score is settled, another game begins and the same proce¬ 
dure is repeated, starting with the shuffling of cards and 
the building of the wall. 

The last 14 cards of the wall are not to be drawn. If 
no one completes his hand when this point is reached, the 
game is declared a draw — no one wins or loses. The 
player drawing the last card makes no discard. For every 
loose tile drawn one more card is added to the 14 undrawn 
cards, so that: 

If no loose tiles drawn.14 undrawn cards 

If 1 loose tile drawn.15 undrawn cards 

If 2 loose tiles drawn.16 undrawn cards 

If 3 loose tiles drawn.17 undrawn cards 

And so on. 

Calling and Wooing. When a player has yet to wait 
for just one card to complete his hand, he is said to be 
“calling.” When he has completed his hand, he is said 
to be “wooing.” (In this book the words “to complete,” 
“to woo,” and “to win” are used interchangeably; some¬ 
times one and sometimes another is used in order to suit 
the meaning of the particular passage.) When a player 
woos, he does not make any discard; the complete hand, 
therefore, normally has 14 cards. 






THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


13 


A player can woo by punging, by chowing, and by 
“fishing the single eye.” 1 In all cases, the caller has an 
immediate claim on the needed discard. For instance, a 
player has a pair of 2 circles and 5-6 characters, the other 
cards being on the table. He is calling 4 and 7 characters. 
Should either card be discarded by any player, he can 
have an immediate claim on it and declare his hand com¬ 
pleted. Unlike chowing in the ordinary sense, the caller 
depends on the discards of all players, and not those of 
his left-hand person alone. 

Should a player complete his hand by drawing the 
needed card, he must expose this card before displaying 
his hand, in order that the other players may identify it. 

Rounds of Play. Four rounds constitute a complete 
period of play. The first round is the East Round; the 
second, the South Round; the third, the West Round; the 
last, the North Round. The Prevailing Wind of each 
round is that of the round; for instance: the Prevailing 
Wind of East Round is East. 

After each game, the bank is passed to the player on 
the right, except when East Wind himself wins or when 
he draws the last card in a drawn game, in which cases 
the bank is not passed. Thus the bank rotates around the 
table. When the fourth player fails to win, the second 
round, the South Round, begins. After four rounds of play, 
if the players agree to continue the game, the loser or 
losers have the privilege of requesting a re-choice of seats. 

Precedence. If two players claim the same card at the 
same time, the one punging it has the precedence over the 
one chowing it. Any player calling has the precedence 
over one punging or chowing. If two players are calling 
the same card, the one sitting nearer to the discarder in the 
usual counterclockwise direction has the precedence over 
the other. If a discard is at the same time claimed by 
three players who are calling, the player next to the dis¬ 
carder has precedence. 

Fishing the single eye” means to obtain a second card to make the 
necessary pair in order to complete the hand. 


CHAPTER III 

Settlement of Scores and Scoring Rules 

Glancing over the many publications by various 
authors, one is disturbed by the diversity of rules among 
them. One writer insists that his set of rules is authentic; 
another claims that his is official; a third calls his rules 
standardized. 

Where the writers differ most essentially is in regard 
to the scoring rules. A word of explanation for this 
variation is perhaps necessary. 

With regard to some rules arising from the question 
of taste , diversity is but a natural consequence. Some 
people favor a limited game, while others favor an unlimited 
one; some favor a base score of 10 points and others a 
base score of 20 points. In like manner the stakes of the 
American poker game vary from “the sky is the limit” to 
the limited penny game. With regard to other rules 
arising from the question of customs , diversity is likewise 
inevitable. These variations are usually very slight and 
imply unimportant details; as, for example, the question 
whether or not there is such a thing as “plain wooing” 
completed by drawing. It is these variations that make 
up the so-called table rules. Owing to these natural 
differences, standardization of rules, I think, should best 
go within certain boundaries. 

But a third kind of diversity of rules requires more 
serious attention. It is one of the results of dragging the 
game into commercialized practices. Some American 
writers, on account of their unfamiliarity and lack of 
experience with the game, give inaccurate and erroneous 
rules with regard to scoring. It may also be possible 
that these and others purposely refuse to play the game 
in the Chinese way, but describe their own rules as an 
14 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


15 


improvement over the original. In both cases these new 
rules should not be followed. The game of Mah Jong is 
already near perfection, and any rash attempt to improve 
it will simply tend to degrade it. 

Settlement of Scores between the Players. East Wind 
always wins or loses twice the score. 

The winner collects from each of the 3 players the 
full value of his hand. The 3 players (or the losers) settle 
the differences between their scores. 

The game is usually played with a limit, which varies 
from 300 to 600 points. The idea is to restrict too heavy 
losses. East Wind can win or lose as much as twice the 
limit. The limit sometimes applies only to the complete 
hand; sometimes it applies to both complete and incom¬ 
plete hands. Before the game, an agreement will settle 
the question. 

“Dead” Hands. If, at any stage of the game, a 
player’s hand contains more than the proper number of 
cards, his hand is “dead,” which means that he cannot 
complete it. At the end of the game, he must pay to the 
winner and the other two players their full scores. If, at 
any stage of the game, a player’s hand contains less than 
the proper number of cards, his hand is also “dead”; but 
at the end of the game, he is entitled to count his score 
in settling with the losers. In both cases, the holder must 
continue drawing and discarding as usual. 

Counters for Settling Scores. Each player, before the 
game starts, is given a number of counters for the purpose 
of settling scores. 

Usually each player starts with 1,000 points, repre¬ 
sented by counters as follows: 


1 500-point counter. 500 points 

4 100-point counters. 400 points 

9 10-point counters. 90 points 

5 2-point counters. 10 points 


Total 


1,000 points 








16 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


o o o • • • 
•#•000 


o o o • • • 
• • • o o o 

soo Points 

O 

O 

u 


0 

o 

u 

too Points 

C oooo 

V oooo 


o o o o N 
oooo J 

io Points 

(V* 


x°) 


2 Points 


T 


•*• 

• •• 


500 Points 


c 

c 


too Points 


io Points 


D 

) 


2 Points 


The Scoring Chart 

1. All straights, whether exposed or hidden, have no 
scoring value. 

2. The own wind of East Wind is East; that of South 
Wind is South; that of West Wind is West; and that of 
North Wind is North. 

“Prevailing Wind” means the wind of the round. 

“Own and Prevailing Wind” means the wind of the 
player’s own wind, at the same time the wind of the 
round. 




















THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 17 

3. For each double multiply the final total score by 
2 once. 

For instance, if the total score is 20 points, 

Then, 1 double =20X2 = 40 points 

2 doubles = 20X2X2 = 80 points 

3 doubles = 20X2X2X2 =160 points 

4 doubles = 20X2X2X2X2 = 320 points 
And so on. 

4. By base score is meant the extra points added to 
a complete hand. This score is usually 10 points, although 
by agreement one may use a 20 or more point base score. 

I. Applies to All Hands 



Exposed 

Hidden 


Points 

Doubles 

Points 

Doubles 

Three of a Kind 





Middle tiles (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 





8). 

2 

0 

4 

0 

End tiles (1, 9). 

4 

0 

8 

0 

Winds. 

4 

0 

8 

0 

Own Winds. 

4 

1 

8 

1 

Own and Prevailing Winds. 

4 

2 

8 

2 

Honors.. 

4 

1 

8 

1 

Four of a Kind 





Middle tiles. 

8 

0 

16 

0 

End tiles. 

16 

0 

32 

0 

Winds. 

16 

0 

32 

0 

Own Winds. 

16 

1 

32 

1 

Own and Prevailing Winds. 

16 

2 

32 

2 

Honors. 

16 

1 

32 

1 

A Pair 





Own Winds, Prevailing 





Winds, Honors......... 



2 

0 

Own and Prevailing Winds. 



4 

0 


























18 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


II. Applies to Complete Hands Only 


Base score 1 .. 

Drawing winning card.. 

Filling a middle or one-sided combination. 

Fishing the single eye{ £ ads and ends 


“Winning on the roof” 2 .. 

“Robbing a kong” 2 .. 

Winning on drawing last card 2 .. 

For no straights 2 . 

All-one-suit hand 3 . 

Mixed-one-suit hand 4 . 



Special Complete Hands 

(1) Plain Wooing. This hand consists of all straights 
and no scoring group. One double is given, making the 
total score 20 points. If the card completing the hand is 
drawn, the score is 12 by 1 double, or 24 points. Some 
players contend that, since plain wooing must contain no 
scoring group, drawing the winning card, which at once 
allows the drawer 2 points, can never constitute the hand 
plain wooing; the correct score, they say, should be 
12 points. 



Note that the pair of eyes must not be own winds or honors, for a 
pair of own wind or honors scores 2 points. 

iSee p. 17. 

2 Some players allow 10 points instead of 1 double. See p. 22. 

*An American writer states that this rule applies to all hands. That 
is to say, as soon as a player has collected 13 cards of the same suit, he is 
entitled to a 3-double score. This is a fundamental mistake. Doubling 
is not inherent in the “numbers” suit; it is on account of the peculiar 
nature of the composition of this complete hand that doubling is made 
possible. On this assumption alone the score of 3 doubles is granted to 
an all-one-suit hand. 

4 The same writer states that this rule applies to all hands. This is 
equally erroneous; the same argument as above can be extended here. 



































THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


19 


(2) Mixed Ones and Nines. The hand consists of 
triplets 1 of ones, nines, winds, or honors. One extra double 
is allowed. Since this hand contains no straights, it scores 
at least 2 doubles. 


i@®l« 

@m< m 

B* I 

m 

f F W 

1 ~ £ 

. BWE 

E> <4> j Ijjjj | 

||S1S©^@ 


(3) Lesser Three Scholars. There are included two 
triplets of two of the honors and a pair of the third honors 
in the hand. One extra double is allowed. Such a hand, 
therefore, scores at least 3 doubles. 

Below is a list of Full Houses. Full Houses are com¬ 
plete hands which score the limit, whatever it is. 

(4) Heavenly Grace. When East Wind opens his 
original 14 cards and finds the hand already complete, the 
hand is called Heavenly Grace. 

(5) Earthly Grace. If East Wind’s first discard com¬ 
pletes any player’s hand, the hand is called Earthly Grace. 

(6) Pure Ones and Nines. The hand consists of trip¬ 
let of only ones and nines. 

(7) All Symbols. The hand consists of triplets of 
winds and honors. Since such a hand scores at least 4 
doubles, the limit score is allowed. 

(8) Greater Three Scholars. There are included 
triplets of all the honors in the hand. 

(9) Four Blessings at the Door. The hand consists 
of 4 sets of winds, the 4 sets either all triplets, such as 



E 

£ 

E 

i 

E 

£ 

% 

% 

% 

w 

b 

w 

w 

b 

H 

H 

ft 

* 

ft 

6 * 

* 

* 


or 3 sets of triplets and the fourth set a pair of eyes, 
except that the pair of eyes must not be the own winds. 


E 

£ 

E 

£ 

6 £ 

% 

% 

% 

w 

b 

w 

b 

w 

b 

H 

N 

ft 

6 * 

7 Jc 

r 

8 >v 

% 



The Prevailing Wind is East, and the holder of this hand is South 
Wind. 

triplet is another word for three of a kind. 















































20 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


But if the pair of eyes is own wind, then the hand is not 
a full house. Only one extra double is allowed. 


E 

£ 

6 

£ 

E 

£ 

% 

% 

w 

b 

w 

b 

w 

b 

H 

H 

& 

H 

* 

6 * 

X 

* 

'i w 

TO 


The Prevailing Wind is East, and the holder of this hand is South 
Wind. The total number of doubles in this hand is 3: 1 for East Wind, 1 
for mixed-one-suit, and 1 extra double. 

(10) Buried Treasure. The hand consists of 4 sets 
of hidden threes of a kind or fours. The pair of eyes must 
also be completed by drawing. 

(11) If the above hand consists of sets of Jours only , 
then the pair of eyes may be completed from an outside 
discard. 

(12) Calling Nine Cards. This is an all-one-suit 
hand, all concealed in hand, the arrangement of which is 
such that any card of the suit discarded or drawn will 
complete the hand. 



i _ 


i 

3 * 

\z> 


•* 

* 

8 A. 


9 k> 


T 

T 

r 


r 

r 


t 

r 

T 

r 

r 

T 


If the holder himself draws or any player discards a character, the 
hand is a Full House. 

(13) The Thirteen Wonders. The hand consists of the 
13 different heads and ends, one of which is paired. This 
is the only exception to the usual make-up of a complete 
hand. 


E 

£ 

% 

w 

b 

H 

£ 

$ 

p 


5- 

■ 3 ®© 


11 T 


% 

r 


This hand is considered all-powerful. A player calling on this hand 
is exempted from paying penalties under the rules laid down on cases 
(2), (3), and (4) of that section. The usual rules governing precedence 
do not apply to this hand; it always has the first claim. 

(14) Getting the Moon from the Bottom of the Sea. 1 
The hand is completed by drawing the last card in the 
wall, when the card happens to be one circle. 

x See next paragraph. 












































THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


21 


(15) Getting a Plum Blossom. 1 The hand is completed 
by drawing a loose tile after a kong, when this loose tile 
happens to be a 5 circle. 

Strict and Liberal Constructions. The causes for the 
inconsistency of the American authors in writing down 
the rules, especially in regard to scoring, have been noted 
before. There is another very significant cause, perhaps 
more responsible than any other, that accounts for this 
inconsistency. In interpreting the scoring chart and the 
many special hands, there are two views which are widely 
current among the Chinese players today. They are the 
strict and the liberal constructions; 2 the one view restricts 
the counting of the score to the narrowest limit possible, 
the other view allows the scorer to claim the largest score 
possible. From what the authors have written, it is 
apparent that they have not realized the widespread 
existence of these two views; hence their inconsistency. 

Broadly speaking, these are the differences between the 
two schools: 

(1) Where there is more than one way of arranging 
the concealed sets in a complete hand, the school of 
liberal construction allows the holder to choose the way 
which may yield the largest score, while the other school 
compels him to adopt the way which yields the least 
score. 

Examples: 


% 

% 


** 

t 

r 

8 A. 

X 

% 

T 


Either a 4 or a 7 character will complete this hand. Now suppose 
someone discards a 7 character. The liberal constructionist asserts that 
the 7 character fills the one-sided combination 8-9 characters and claims 
an extra of 2 points. The strict constructionist asserts that, since there 
are two possibilities in completing the hand, no extra points can be 
allowed. 


1 See next paragraph. 

^The two terms are borrowed from political science. 









22 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 



* 

* 

* 

7 * 

T 

8 >^ 

T 

To 

T 


Suppose someone discards a 6 character. The liberal constructionist 
claims 2 points for the completion of the pair of eyes; the strict con¬ 
structionist refuses the 2 points on the ground that a 9 character would 
have completed the hand just as well. 


w 

w 

7 * 


7 * 

8 >v 

*/o 

& 

<£> 

T 

r 

T 

X 

x 


Suppose someone discards a 7 character. The liberal constructionist 
claims 2 points for filling a one-sided combination and 4 points for the 
hidden triplet of 7 characters, a total of 6 points; the strict construc¬ 
tionist allows 2 points for an exposed three of 7 characters, a total of 
2 points. . 


F 

* 

* 

*■' 

5 te 

X 

* 

k 

r 

8 >V 

X 


Suppose someone discards a 5 or an 8 character. The liberal con¬ 
structionist states that this is a case of fishing the single eye. 


1 

1 


4 cO> 


6 * 

* 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 


x 


According to liberal construction, it is even possible to fish the single 
eye where there are in reality three possibilities. 

(2) “Winning on the roof,” winning on drawing the 
last card, “Robbing a kong,” no straights — the school of 
liberal construction allows one extra double for any of 
these hands; the school of strict construction allows ten 
extra points. 

The school of strict construction does not recognize 
these two hands — “ Getting the moon from the bottom 
of the sea,” and “Getting a plum blossom.” In each case, 
the usual ten extra points is allowed. 

(3) The school of strict construction recognizes only 
one kind of plain wooing. Drawing the winning card 
does not fulfill the requirements of plain wooing. See 
page 2. 






























THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


23 


(4) . The school of liberal construction usually sets 
500 points as the limit full-house score; the school of 
strict construction usually sets this at 300 points. 

Before the game, the players should agree on which 
view they are to follow in counting scores. 


Examples Illustrating the Scoring Rules 
Example I 
A’s Hand 



A. Winning Hand 

Exposed 3 of 1 circles (end tiles). 4 points 

Exposed 3 of 9 characters (end tiles). 4 points 

Two straights. 0 points 

Fishing the 6 character (according to liberal 

construction). 2 points 

Base score. 10 points 


Total. 20 points 


















































































24 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


B 

Exposed 4 of 1 characters (end tiles). 16 points 

Exposed 3 of 6 circles (middle tiles). 2 points 

Exposed 3 of white honors. 4 points 

Total.. 22 points 

One double for the 3 white honors. 44 points 

C 

Hidden 3 of 1 bamboos (end tiles). 8 points 

Exposed 3 of 2 bamboos (middle tiles). 2 points 

Total. 10 points 

D. Banker 

Exposed 3 of red honors.• 4 points 

Exposed 3 of 3 characters (middle tiles). 2 points 

Total. 6 points 

One double for the 3 red honors. 12 points 


In this example, A wins the game, and collects 20 
points from both B and C and 40 points from D, who is 
the banker. 

After paying off A, the other three players, B, C, 
and D, settle the differences between their scores. B, 
having 44 points, collects 34 points from C, who has 10 
points, 32X2 or 64 points from D the banker, who has 
12 points. D, having 12 points, collects 2X2 or 4 points 
from C, who has 10 points. 

Example II 



Hidden 3 of red honors. 8 points 

Exposed 3 of 9 characters (end tiles). 4 points 

Filling a middle combination (3 bamboo).... 2 points 

Drawing the winning tile. 2 points 

Base score. 10 poin ts 

Total.. 26 points 

One double for the 3 red honors. 52 points 








































THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


25 


Example III 



Exposed 4 of 1 circles (end tiles). 16 points 

Exposed 3 of 8 characters (middle tiles). 2 points 

Exposed 3 of 5 circles (middle tiles). 2 points 

The hidden 3 of 5 bamboos 1 . 0 points 

Base score. 10 points 

Total.. . .. 30 points 

One double for “Winning on the roof”. 60 points 

One double for no straights. 120 points 


Example IV 


Exposed 3 of 4 characters (middle tiles). 2 points 

Base score. 10 points 


Total. 12 points 

This is the smallest of all winning hands. 


Example V 



©<§><§> @fx§ 


Hidden 3 of 1 circles (end tiles) . 8 points 

Hidden 3 of 8 circles (middle tiles) . 4 points 

Drawing the winning card. 2 points 

Base score. 10 points 


Total. 

Three doubles for all-one-suit hand. 

First double. 

Second double. 

Third double. 


24 points 

48 points 
96 points 
192 points 


J It is customary after “winning on the roof,” when one extra double 
is given, to allow no score to the last winning set. 
















































































26 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


Penalties 

(1) False claim. Every player should be careful to 
make no mistake when declaring a complete hand. If, 
after the hand is exposed, a mistake is discovered in his 
hand, he has to pay to every player points equivalent 
to the limit. No other score counts and the bank passes. 

(2) Nine cards of the same suit on the table. When 
a player has exposed nine cards of the same “numbers” 
suit on the table, no player is allowed to discard any card 
of that same suit. If anyone makes such a discard, and 
the discard completes that player’s hand, provided it 
proves to be an all-one-suit hand, the discarder will be 
held responsible for all losses. If the discard is punged or 
chowed by the player, who later on draws the winning 
card, the discarder will also be held responsible for all 
losses. In case the discarder himself has an all-one-suit 
hand, 1 or in case he has no other cards to play except 
those of the “forbidden” suit, he is exempted from paying 
the penalty. 

When a penalty is imposed, no other score counts. 

(3) Three sets of ones and nines on the table. When 
a player has exposed three sets of ones and nines on the 
table, no player is allowed to discard any ones or nines. 
If anyone makes such a discard, and the discard com¬ 
pletes his pure ones and nines, the discarder is held 
responsible for all losses. 

(4) Similarly, when a player has exposed three sets 
of winds, no player is allowed to discard the fourth wind. 
When a player has exposed two sets of honors, no player 
is allowed to discard the third honor. 

Flowers and Seasons. When Mah Jong was first 
played, the use of Flowers and Seasons was the rule rather 
than the exception. The number of these cards varied 
from 4 to 16. Today, among expert players especially, 

1 In some places, exemption is also made if the discarder is calling on 
a 2 double score hand. More frequently, exemption is made if the dis¬ 
carder is calling on a 3 double score hand, regardless whether or not 
the hand be all-one-suit. 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


27 


their use has become obsolete. Nevertheless, many people 
still prefer a game with such cards, and these few lines 
have been added to describe their functions. 

Flowers and Seasons are additional cards and have 
nothing to do with the making-up of sets. 

The most common number of these cards used is 8, 
4 Flowers and 4 Seasons, numbered from 1 to 4 or marked 
E, S, W, N. 

Each wind is represented by a Flower and a Season 
in the above order. 

Each Flower or Season counts 4 points. Each own 
Flower or own Season counts 4 points and 1 double. 
Holding the whole set of Flowers or of Seasons counts for 
1 extra double. 

Points Doubles 


One Flower. 4 0 

One Season. 4 0 

One own Flower. 4 1 

One own Season. 4 1 

A set of Flowers. 16 2 

A set of Seasons. 16 2 


Whenever a Flower or Season is drawn, it is at once 
exposed on the table. The fact that Flowers and Seasons 
have nothing to do with the making up of sets makes it 
necessary for the drawer of each Flower or Season to 
draw a loose tile. After the original deal, each player lays 
down all his Flowers and Seasons and draws the necessary 
loose tiles; the procedure starts with East Wind. 

The 8 additional cards make it necessary for each 
player to build a wall 18 tiles long instead of 17. 







CHAPTER IV 
Fundamental Principles 
Formations of Cards. 

The Novice’s Method. A novice picks up his 13 cards, 
and groups them according to their suits. He arranges 
them in such a way as to leave a little space or a break 
between every suit or set of cards which by themselves 
form a somewhat logical relation. His arrangement, then, 
would appear something like the following illustrations: 


The novice has the habit of putting the honors and winds (cannons) 
at the left-hand corner. 


t * 




1^ 

2 

> 



X 

X 

x 

r 




•— 

i 



6 * 

6 * 


A m 

4 @© 

5 <m 

6 m 

6 m 

81 



X 

X 

X 



V 


m 

m 

m 

tt 

tt 

88 


The 3 of 1 characters and the pair of 6 characters, although being 
the same suit, are sometimes separated, so that the different groups of 
cards can be more distinctly recognized. 


Such an arrangement has serious defects. His oppo¬ 
nents, by watching carefully where he puts in his draws 
and from where he makes his discards or to where he 
shifts the cards, can tell almost exactly what his cards 
are. By so doing, it is like playing with one’s cards face 
open, while his opponents have their cards concealed. 

The Ordinary Method. As the novice gains more 
experience, he will gradually abandon his first practice 
and will place his cards close together in a single straight 
line. This is a great improvement over the first method 
and is the one most widely employed. This arrangement 
is, however, not intricate enough to escape the detection 
of the more observant players. 


28 








































THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


29 


The Mixed Formation. The experienced Chinese play¬ 
ers have developed another arrangement, called the Mixed 
Formation. By this we mean that the 13 cards as they 
are picked up are not classified or arranged in any order 
at all and cards drawn in are placed wherever convenient. 
This formation prevents detection even of the keenest 
observers. 


Examples of the Mixed Formation 


6 * S' 

X 

Y@ 

X 

m 

<m y 

4 m 

m 

% 

i 

5 

<D 

m> 

u 


X 

88 6 £ 


X \ 

r 



X 


4 

0 

n 

w 

b 

2 

* mi 

o U LI U 


This method, likewise, has its limitations, for none but 
the very experienced players can use it successfully. 
When an unseasoned player attempts it, nothing but 
strain and confusion will follow, with the result that he 
forgets to chow or to pung, makes wrong discards, or 
even commits the most costly error of making a false 
claim, 1 in which case he is heavily penalized. 

A combination formation recommended. The most 
effective formation is the combination of the ordinary 
method and the mixed formation. It requires less strain 
and effort to operate this than the mixed formation. One 
of the strongest points in its favor is that it eliminates the 
numerous chances of making the various mistakes com¬ 
mon to the mixed formation. It has for its foundation 
the ordinary method in that the first 13 cards obtained 
by the deal are arranged according to their suits or sets. 
Then as the game progresses the draws are placed in what¬ 
ever places that are convenient regardless of their con¬ 
nection with the cards in the hand, which is the main 
feature of the mixed formation. 


1 See p. 30. 












































30 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


What cards to discard. Just as in chess, the usual 
question of the beginner is, What are the several correct 
preliminary moves to be made? So in Mah Jong, similar 
questions arise. What cards should be discarded first? 
What should be the right cards to get rid of ? 

Single winds other than own wind should be discarded 
at the first opportunity. It is most probable that in the 
early stages of the game your opponents seldom have 
pairs of their own winds in hand, but the further the game 
progresses, the more chance there is for them to form 
pairs from their draws; thus they are enabled to pung your 
late discards and double the score of their hands. On the 
other hand, you should keep your own wind as long as 
possible, unless two or three have already been discarded. 
Some people think that the Prevailing Wind should also 
be kept. If there is reason to discard the winds, there is 
more reason to discard the Prevailing Wind. 

Next you should discard the end tiles of the “num¬ 
bers” suits rather than the middle tiles. Even a casual 
examination will show that straights on middle tiles are 
easier to form. Of the middle tiles, the 2’s and 8’s are less 
useful than the rest, and should be discarded before the 
latter. Take a 2 circle, for instance, and see how many 
possibilities there are which may convert the single 2 
circle into useful combinations. You will find four; namely, 
1 circle, 2 circle, 3 circle, 4 circle, which will make the 
following combinations respectively: 1-2 circles, 1 a pair 
of 2 circles, 2-3 circles, 2-4 circles. Now compare it with, 
for instance, a 4 circle or any circle from 3 to 7. You will 
find more possibilities in this case, 2 circle, 3 circle, 4 
circle, 5 circle, 6 circle, which will make the following 
combinations respectively: 2-4 circles, 3-4 circles, a pair 
of 4 circles, 4-5 circles, 4-6 circles. For the group of 
tiles numbering from 3 to 7 there are still further pecu¬ 
liarities, although, counting their possibilities of being 
improved into useful combinations, they are the same. A 

1 For the sake of convenience, 1-2 circle combination is often 
written 1-2 circles; others may be inferred. 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


31 


cautious examination will show that the threes and 
sevens occupy a vital position, which makes it inadvisa¬ 
ble to discard them at all. A3 may be chowed by one 
of the following combinations: 1-2, 2-4, 4-5, of which 
one is one-sided, one middle, and only one both-ended. 
A 4 may be chowed by one of the following combinations: 
2-3, 3-5, 5-6, of which two are both-ended and only one 
middle. Now the theory is, rather let your discard be 
chowed by a both-ended combination than by a one-sided 
or middle combination; for while the person holding a 
both-ended combination can easily draw the needed card 
if you do not give it to him, this is more difficult for the 
person holding a one-sided or middle combination. There¬ 
fore, unless you are forced to (as, for example, when you 
are calling), always keep the threes and sevens as long 
as possible. 

Summing up the preceding discussion, we would find 
a discarding schedule as follows: 

First. All winds other than the own wind. 

Second. Ones and nines. 

Third. Twos and eights. 

Fourth. Honors. (For reasons of this assignment 
see pp. 64-65.) 

Fifth. Fours, fives, sixes. 

Sixth. Threes and sevens. 

Seventh. Own wind. 

This schedule is only a general direction of order, and 
it is not intended that it shall be followed to the very 
letter. Indeed it is highly undesirable to do so, for the 
player would then be playing a mechanical game instead 
of a versatile game. 

One’s discards should also be guided by many con¬ 
ditions. For instance, the discards in the inside space of 
the walls should be noted by each player. Generally 
speaking, it is better to follow the old cards than to play 
new cards. Again, towards the end of the game, it is not 
feasible to discard any winds or honors, which would give 
one’s opponents a good chance to complete a big hand. 


32 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


The term “Letting off a cannon” means discarding an 
honor or a wind at this dangerous period. 

The Checking Method. It is of importance that every 
player should carefully watch the discards of the other 
three players. This enables him to make a fair estimate 
of his opponents’ hands and by means of such knowledge 
he can exercise control over his opponents. The checking 
method is directed against the person on your right. The 
control consists in delaying his completion of the hand by 
refusing him any chance to chow your discards. To this 
end several ways are employed. One of these is to try 
to play the same cards that he has discarded; that is to 
say, to follow his discards. It is obvious that he cannot 
chow your 2 circle when he has previously 1 discarded 
one himself. Secondly, by taking his discards into con¬ 
sideration, you can calculate what cards are useless to 
him and discard accordingly. For instance, if he has 
discarded a 7 character, he can rarely chow your 8 or 9 
character; and if he has discarded a 2 circle and a 5 circle, 
he can rarely chow your 3 or 4 circle. Thirdly, if you dis¬ 
cover that he is discarding bamboos and characters and 
not any circles, you can be reasonably sure that he is 
forming an all-circle hand, and you must stop discarding 
any circles, for if you do not, you will be aiding him to 
complete his hand. 

Incidentally, all discards of winds and end tiles are 
working towards the purpose of the checking method. 

Making Use of the Left-Hand Person's Discards. When 
you come to deal with the left-hand person, your policy 
should be to make the best use out of his discards. Your 
skill is your capacity to anticipate what cards he will keep 
and what ones he will discard. Other things being equal, 
you should save the cards of the suit he has the least use 
for, and discard the cards of the suit which he is saving; 
for thus you will be able to take more chows from his 
discards. For instance, if you have several disconnected 
circles and characters, your choice of which ones to dis- 

J Provided not too long previously. 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


33 


card first should be influenced by the discards of the left- 
hand person. Should he save circles and discard characters 
freely, you should keep the characters and discard the 
circles, and vice versa. Or again, when you have a choice 
to break either 1-2 bamboos or 1-2 circles, you should 
be influenced likewise; that is, you should break the 
former if he seems to have no use for circles; the latter, if 
he seems to have no use for bamboos. 

This plan and the checking method are sometimes 
supplementary to each other. Under certain circumstances 
both plans may be used together. To take a concrete 
case, suppose you have a choice to break either 5-6 
circles or 2-3 bamboos. Ordinarily you would follow old 
cards. But suppose the right-hand person has discarded 
a 4 bamboo and the left-hand person a 6 circle. Then you 
should break the 2-3 bamboos, since the right-hand 
person cannot chow them, and keep the 5-6 circles, since 
the left-hand person has not much use for 4 and 7 circles. 
In this play, you accomplish two purposes at the same 
time. 


CHAPTER V 

Advanced Fundamental Principles 

Diagnosing Your Opponents * Plays. Importance has 
already been attached to the rule that every player should 
watch the discards of the other three players. It is upon 
the observance of this rule that the checking method is 
based; and the same is true of the plan of how one can 
best utilize the discards of the left-hand person. 1 

Indeed, it is no exaggeration to say that almost one- 
half of the beginner’s faults lies in the fact that he con¬ 
centrates too much of his energy in building up his own 
hand and pays no attention at all to his opponents. 
Without thus consciously studying his opponents, it 
would not be possible to diagnose their plays. 

First, you should examine how your opponents arrange 
their cards and to what positions they put in their draws. 
Such a close scrutiny will reveal many minute details of 
their hands. A few diagrams will make this point clear. 


* 

* 

4 

4 

\a> 

r 

T 

5 «. 


In hand 



On the table 


In this example, the play has progressed to some extent. If any 
player discards a green honor, and the player under close scrutiny pungs 
it and then discards the 5 character, we could guess the contents of the 
two parts separated by the broken wall, which is caused by the removal 
of the green honors. The two cards on the right are most likely charac¬ 
ters, while the remaining two on the left are either a pair of red honors 
or of white honors, less likely to be anything else, because many play¬ 
ers have the habit of grouping the cannons together and at the left-hand 
corner. 


Maee pp. 39-41. 


34 



















THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


35 


9 yo 

X 

T 

V 

X 

7 k 

r 

r 

6 * 

f 

4 i£P 

x 

x 

z 

-> 

x 

i ^ 

X 

% 

© 

2 m 


All in hand 


In this example, the player first chows a 3 character to the 1-2 
characters and discards one of three cards at the end. Next, he pungs to 
his pair of 9 characters and discards another of the three cards at the 
end. Then it is safe to conclude that the remaining portion of his hand 
except the one card at the end contains that same suit, characters. 

When a player at the outset of the game discards 
middle tiles and not winds or end tiles, contrary to the 
general principle, 1 it is an indication of one of two things. 
Either he has a fairly organized hand and is not far from 
calling; or he is attempting to build up a strong hand, 
usually the all-one-suit hand or the mixed one-suit hand. 
When a player during the early or the middle stage of the 
game discards an honor with great reluctance, it may be 
an indication that he has a pair or three of honors or his 
own winds. Generally a person is quite willing to discard 
his single honor or honors, if his hand contains no doubling 
value. But having a hand with a doubling value or with 
such possibility, he greatly desires to obtain a still stronger 
hand by holding his single honors. With the average 
player, it is human nature that prompts him to the action; 
with the player of mathematical mind, it is found to be 
expedient to so retain his honors 2 — for two doubles is 
four times the score of the original hand and not three 
times, while one double is merely twice the score. 

A player who discards characters and circles only is 
likely to be planning an all-bamboo hand. Should he sit 
on your right, it is sometimes good strategy to discard a 
bamboo to see if he needs it or shows signs of having 
need for it. In either case that should be the last bamboo 
discarded by you. 

The Principle of Versatility. As you are constantly 
trying to diagnose your opponents' plays, so your plays 

‘See pp. 4G-47. 

2 See p. 18. 















36 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


are treated by your opponents in the same manner. Your 
object then is to strive towards outguessing your oppo¬ 
nents, and here the principle of versatility comes into play. 
One common fault of the mediocre player is that his play 
is a mere persistent pushing in a given direction; in other 
words, we can describe his every action in the language 
with which we describe mechanical movements. Versatil¬ 
ity consists in the employment of variations of plays and 
means to the attainment of your goal; your opponents are 
consistently kept in perplexity and can never be sure 
what you are striving at. 

Sometimes indeed it is necessary to sacrifice something 
in order to be versatile. To discard a middle tile at the 
outset instead of a wind or an end tile is an obvious vio¬ 
lation of a fundamental principle; but at times it pays to 
sacrifice whatever advantage there is in order to keep 
your opponents in suspicion that you are starting to build 
an all-one-suit hand. 

Versatility also includes adaptability in recognition of 
some new demand of circumstances or some new opening 
of opportunity. One varies his methods of play in the 
different periods of luck; generally speaking, an offensive 
game is required when in good luck and a defensive game 
when in ill luck. 1 One must not be too resolute in his 
determination of policy. Let us suppose that you are 
building up an all-character hand and that you are suc¬ 
cessful except for a 5-6 bamboo combination. Let us sup¬ 
pose then that you realize suddenly that the player on your 
right is building an all-bamboo hand and that he is on 
the verge of completion — may be calling. At such a 
critical moment, you should change your determined 
policy by keeping the two bamboos. In the first place, it 
is quite possible that he is calling the very bamboos in 
your hand. In the second place, you are given the prece¬ 
dence to win over him in case someone happens to discard 
a bamboo that completes both your and his hands. 

The Principle of Flexibility. Fundamentally the game 

*See Chapters VII and VIII. 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


37 


of Mah Jong is a test of the ability of organization; effi¬ 
ciency in organization, then, must constitute your primary 
purpose. When circumstances are such that it is plainly 
evident that you cannot woo, your primary purpose must 
be temporarily abandoned; and your policy then will be 
to favor the player with the smallest possible score to win 
or to make a drawn game. Hence such policy should 
constitute your secondary purpose. 

The function of the principle of flexibility is to aid in 
accomplishing these two purposes. 1 By flexibility I mean 
that your cards are so organized or arranged as to be 
capable of various adjustments and instant reshaping 
when situations demand. The following rules may well 
be borne in mind: 

(1) Facility of linkage the all-important rule. Cards 
of the same suit connected together and concealed in the 
hand afford the best facility of linkage. The longer the 
string of connection, the better the facility of linkage, so 
that such a string allows you to make use of almost any 
card of the suit drawn by yourself or discarded by the left- 
hand person. For instance, work out the possibilities in 
the sequences of 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 characters, of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6, 6 
bamboos and similar sequences. 

From this is evolved the rule that too many pairs violate 
the principle of flexibility . As pairs have no linkage value, 
too many pairs in a hand lessen the probability of com¬ 
pleting the hand. It is often advisable to split a pair in 
favor of retaining a both-ended combination, the latter 
having 8 chances for improvement against the 2 of the 
former. 2 

iAll principles, in a sense, aid in accomplishing the purposes under 
discussion; but they do not aid in as direct a manner as does the prin¬ 
ciple of flexibility. 

20f course, one can pung the discards of all players and can chow 
only those of the left-hand person. But if the following computation is 
correct, then a both-ended combination still has advantage over a pair: 

There are 8 tiles that will fill a both-ended combination and there 
are two ways of getting one of these tiles, either by drawing or by chowing. 
There are 2 tiles that will fill a pair and there are four ways of getting one 


38 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


(2) In trying for an all-one-suit hand , the application 
of the above rule is all the more obvious. The 5 occupies 
the center position and unites linkages from numbers 
both below and above. A pair of 5 ought never to be 
punged; for by doing so the continuity of the whole hand 
is at once cut off and destroyed. Even any pair of the 
middle tiles ought not to be punged without careful 
consideration. 

(3) Certain combinations , by nature of their positions, 
are less flexible than others. 8-9 circles is less flexible 
than 7-9 circles, though both have the same number of 
chances, viz., 4, to become a straight. 7-9 circles is a 
middle combination, but if a 6 circle is drawn back, it 
becomes a both-ended combination; and in this sense, it 
is more flexible than 8-9 circles, which cannot so transform 
itself into a both-ended combination. Similarly you will 
find that the 5-7 circles is more flexible than 7-9 circles. 
Now 5 holds the center position; the rule is, the nearer 
the combinations to 5, the more flexible they are. 

(4) The danger of holding only one card. Holding 
only one card in hand is a blunder which the expert never 
commits. There are but three chances for the completion 
of the hand and there is the disadvantage of the card 
being guessed. Most important of all, however, is the 
unfortunate predicament that the holder is sometimes 
placed in. In the case of emergency, when an opponent 
is calling on a strong hand, he would have no choice of 
cards to play; of the two cards, red honor and green 
honor, he must discard one. 

To be effective when encountering an emergency, the 
flexibility of a hand should not be impeded. A four-card 
hand like this, 3-4 circles and 6-7 bamboos, has ample 
flexibility or elasticity to meet any emergency; and should 
any one of the four cards be drawn, the hand becomes a 

of these tiles, by drawing or by punging the discards of any one of the 
three players. 

Then the ratio of filling the both-ended combination is to filling the 
pair as 8X2 is to 2X4, 16 to 8, or 2 to 1. 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


39 


calling hand with two possibilities. There is every objec¬ 
tion to chow a discard to any of the two combinations 
so as to restrict the hand’s elasticity to a minimum. 

With a four-card hand like this, a pair of white honors 
and 1-3 characters, the pair of honors should not be 
punged unless absolute safety is assured. 

Calling as Many Chances as Possible. Closely con¬ 
nected with the principle of flexibility, and in fact akin 
to it, is the subject, “Calling as many chances as possible.” 
By way of justifying my treatment of this as a separate 
topic, I would suggest that, as most novices and many 
average players cannot recognize all the possibilities in a 
calling hand, this paragraph is especially devoted to this 
phase of the game— calling. 

Two terms, I think, must be distinguished. The word 
“possibilities” signifies the number of different cards that 
can complete a calling hand, a combination, or a sequence 
of combinations. With a calling hand like this — a pair 
of white honors and a pair of 1 circles — we say there are 
two possibilities: either a white honor or a 1 circle will 
complete the hand. The word “chances” signifies the 
total number of cards that can complete a calling hand, or 
so forth. With the hand just mentioned, we say there are 
four chances. This usage of the two terms is adopted in 
this chapter and elsewhere. 

It will be seen that, generally speaking, the more 
possibilities there are in a calling hand, the more chances 
there are; but often this is not the case. Frequently when 
two hands have the same number of possibilities, one hand 
has more chances than the other. In a hand like this, a 
pair of North Winds and a pair of 4 characters, its possi¬ 
bilities are two and its chances are four. A hand like this, 
a pair of North Winds and 3-4 characters, has likewise 
two possibilities, but its chances are eight. Sometimes one 
hand has more possibilities and less chances than another. 
A hand like this: 7, 8, 9, 9, 9 characters and a pair of 
2 circles, has three possibilities and seven chances; whereas 
the hand mentioned above with two possibilities has 


40 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


eight chances. The conclusion follows: always call as 
many chances as possible; although, incidentally, this 
virtually means as many possibilities as possible. 

Unless forced to do so, it is never good policy to fish 
the single eye, which has but three chances for the com¬ 
pletion of the hand — the least of all calling hands. 
Fishing the single eye is sometimes the result of drawing 
a third card to, or punging, the eye pair; and this, of 
course, can be avoided and should be avoided, for a few 
extra points cannot compensate the great reduction of 
chances of wooing. A hand depending on two of its pairs 
as the calling places is another difficult hand to win. 
Many Chinese writers on the subject argue that such a 
hand is even worse than a hand depending on a middle 
combination to fill as its calling place, though both hands 
have four chances for their completion. Admitting that 
there is some truth in their argument, 1 I maintain, how¬ 
ever, that the reverse is true. Here I must resort to the 
principle of flexibility to sustain my argument. Compare 
the flexibility of these two hands, for instance: A—a 
pair of 4 circles and a pair of 6 bamboos; B — a pair of 
4 circles and 4-6 bamboos. Both hands have four chances 
for completion; hand A, however, is more capable of being 
altered into a calling hand of eight chances, that is, any 
of these four cards if drawn back, 3 circle, 5 circle, 5 bam¬ 
boo, 7 bamboo, will accomplish the purpose; but for 
hand B, only a 3 or a 7 bamboo can so alter it. Similar 
cases may easily be arranged and compared. 


1 Their chief argument is this: It is more common for one or two 
opponents to hold two similar pairs of the caller than for them to hold 
the four cards that are needed to fill the middle combination. 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


41 


The following table has been prepared with a view to 
familiarize the reader with the number of possibilities 
and chances in different calling hands. 

Calling Hands 

(Each group of figures being Possi- 

cards of the same suit) bilities Chances 




4, 5, 5, 6 

1 

2 



4, 4, 6, 8 

1 

4 

The other nine 

4, 4, 6, 6 

2 

4 

cards being 

on 

4, 5, 6, 7 

2 

6 

the table 

or 

4, 4, 5, 6 

2 

6 

otherwise 

in- 

4, 4, 4, 6 

2 

7 

different 


1, 2, 2, 2 

2 

7 



4, 4, 7, 8 

2 

8 



4, 4, 4, 5 

3 

11 



4, 4, 5, 6, 7, 7, 7 

2 

3 



3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 6 

2 

5 



3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 6 

2 

7 



1, 1, 4, 5, 6, 6, 6 

3 

7 



4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 7 

3 

7 

The other 

six 

2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 

3 

9 

cards being 

on 

3, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 

3 

9 

the table 

or 

4, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 6 

3 

9 

otherwise 

in- 

4, 4, 4, 5, 6, 6, 7 

3 

9 

different 


4, 4, 4, 6, 8, 8, 8 

3 

11 



3, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5 

4 

9 



2, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5 

4 

13 



3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5 

4 

13 



4, 4, 4, 5, 6, 6, 6 

5 

13 



2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6, 6 

5 

17 




CHAPTER VI 

Miscellaneous Problems and Fine Points 

Two Processes of Interchange of Cards. Oftentimes, 
and towards the latter part of the game, two players are 
seen firing cards to each other: first, A discards a card 
which B takes; and B, as if acknowledging a favor, greets 
A with a more polite courtesy by discarding a card which 
completes A’s hand. Such a process, for want of a better 
term, I shall call an “interchange of cards.” 

There are two definite processes of this kind. They 
are closely allied in respect to their operations and effects, 
for in each case the process involves an interchange of 
cards between two players; and in each case the result is 
that the first discarder receives the benefit. They differ 
in that, in one case, the first discarder is unconscious of 
the process or the effect of his discarded card; in the other 
case, the process involves a conspicuous manoeuver on 
the part of the first discarder. 



A, having drawn the 1 character, will have a calling hand as soon 
as he discards a card from the group 5, 6, 6 circles. He chooses a 6 circle. 

42 






































































THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


43 



B pungs the 6 circle. By doing so, he finds the 7 circle useless and 
naturally discards it. 



Very often B’s discard completes A’s hand. In this case, the 
7 circle does. 

Note —In this process the interchange of cards applies to cards of 
“Numbers” suit. 











































































































































44 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


In the first case, if A discards a card from one of his 
groups, then he will have a calling hand. B finds that he 
has need of A’s discard either by punging or chowing; and 
by so doing he also finds that a “neighborhood” card of 
the group is rendered useless. This odd card is B’s 
natural choice of discard, which very often fits in A’s 
hand. The preceding diagrams will make this clear. 

In the second case, A has several pairs of honors. 
The game is already well under way; yet not a cannon has 
been fired. He concludes that, if he sacrificed an odd 
honor and if somebody happened to pung it, this latter 
person would be tempted to give up his odd honor also. 
A therefore discards a red honor and sure enough B 
pungs it. Having done this, B finds his hand near com¬ 
pletion, and he discards his useless odd white honor. In 
this case, the white honor does not invariably complete 
A’s hand; most likely, A would then be calling. 



A concludes that his only way of punging to one of his honor pairs 
(a pair of white honors and a pair of his own winds, South) is to throw 
away the red honor. 






























































THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


45 



Having punged the Red Honor, B finds that he has no use for his 
White Honor. 



A pungs the White Honor. He now has a calling hand; often he 
discards the 1 circle. 

Note —In this process the interchange of cards applies to honors 
and winds. 




































































































































46 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


Why Four of a Kind is Not Always Claimed. If a 
three of a kind is on the table and the fourth card is 
drawn, this card is added to the first three to make a 
kong. 

This four of a kind should not be claimed in these 
two very exceptional cases: (1) When the situation makes 
it manifest that some unusually large hand is near com¬ 
pletion. This is to prevent the caller from “robbing your 
kong,” which would entitle him to an additional double. 
(2) If you have reason to believe that some one player 
is calling your card. For instance, if at the time you 
punged a card, you noticed that this player also wanted 
to chow it, then you should not claim your four of a kind. 

Some American writers think it fine strategy to pung 
the fourth to three of a kind but to expose only three, 
retaining the fourth until calling when the lucky shot, 
“winning on the roof,” is expected. I refute the validity 
of this play. My first objection is that there is just as 
much chance for somebody to “rob your kong” as there 
is for you to get the lucky shot. But more vital is the 
following consideration. The rule that one can fill the 
four of a kind only after any of his draws from the wall 
and not after claiming a discard limits the execution of this 
strategy to such a narrow point that its purpose is almost 
wholly defeated. Remember, too, that if some player 
woos before you claim the four of a kind, a large part of 
your score is forfeited. The futility of this play is made 
more apparent w r hen the chance of success is considered. 1 

Playing for Safety. If, in the course of play, your 
hand is still as poorly organized as it was at the start, 
and if at the same time you know or believe that some 
one is building up a high-scoring hand, your best policy 
is to favor the othe*' two players to win, or, if possible, 
to favor the player with the smallest score. It is bad 
policy to run the risk of losing 300 points for the infini- 

Perhaps the only case in which the play is justified is where there is 
a possibility of drawing the 5 circle from a loose tile — Getting a Plum 
Blossom — which scores the limit. See p. 21. 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


47 


tesimal chance of winning 60 points. So obvious is this 
principle that it is hardly worth mentioning. But how 
often in actual practice people ignore it! 

The correct way to play is to stop the progress of the 
player contemplating a large hand and to discard so that 
the player with a small score may woo. If the latter is 
calling, discard some “neighborhoods” of the card which 
he just discarded. Should he discard a 2 bamboo, try a 
1 or 4 bamboo, and then a 3 or 6 bamboo, but not a 5 
bamboo. Should he discard a 7 circle, try 5, 6, 8 or 9 
circle, then 3 circle, but not 4 circle. 

Towards the end of play, one may try for a drawn 
game. You should fire no cannons and new cards under 
any circumstances. Study the cards on the table and the 
discards of the players and be guided accordingly; and, 
if necessary, break up your pairs and threes of a kind. 

Winning on Comparing Scores. A player may not 
woo and still be able to make substantial gain. If the 
close of the game is near at hand and from the evidences 
of the situation it is impossible for you to woo, then it is 
better to give up the project of completing the hand. 
Play some new cards and let some one win, while you 
make your gains from the other two players. 

Outguessing the Left-hand Person. The person on the 
left constantly applies the checking method against you. 
To induce him to discard a card which will suit you, 
some sort of artifice must be employed. You hold a 
group of 5, 6, 8, 9 characters; you are having two possi¬ 
bilities to make a straight. The 8-9 characters is “pro¬ 
tected” by the 5-6 characters and does not mean much 
to you. By discarding first the 9 character and then the 
8 character, it makes it appear that the 7 character is of 
no use to you. When the person on the left plays his 
7 character, you have a trap already prepared. Again, 
you have 1-3 circles which you prefer breaking up rather 
than to break up a like combination. After discarding 
the 1 circle, you draw another 1 circle back; this time you 
may well retain it and break the other combination. If 


48 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


the person on the left plays a 2 circle against you, he is 
again deceived. Should you draw a 2 circle back, so 
much the better; for he thinks that “it is a cinch” that 
you cannot chow his 1 circle. 

Conspicuousness , a Failing Factor. One of the secrets 
of the expert is his ability to hide the real character of 
his cards. He exposes cards on the table only when the 
exposure is absolutely necessary to the completion of his 
hand , thus making the hand as harmless as possible in 
appearance; and for any one to disclose any inside facts 
is extremely difficult, since he is so clever in concealing 
information. The average player, on the other hand, 
plays an altogether too conspicuous game. Very often 
to come out ahead or behind depends on the success or 
failure of the completion of a few high-scoring hands. 
Conspicuousness would mean failure. 

To illustrate what I have said, I will point out an 
extreme case. You are holding the following hand: 


* 


* 


* 


r 

r 

5 & 

* 

** 

* 

k 

r 

8 A. 

9 k , 


If some one discards a red honor, it is better not to claim 
the four of a kind, since by so doing attention will at once 
be drawn to your hand. Your aim is to woo rather than 
to compare scores. Were the three red honors already 
exposed on the table, the more reason there would be not 
to claim the fourth green honor, for then you would be 
placing a blockade 1 on your own hand. 

The Chinese military book says, “What is unsub¬ 
stantial in appearance may be substantial in fact; what 
is substantial in appearance may be unsubstantial in 
fact.” We should profit by this saying. 

While Calling. While you are calling, it is best not 
to change your cards, unless you can increase the number 
of chances. This applies more especially to a hand of 
only 4 cards, for the simple reason that people take for 

l See penalty rules, case (4), p. 26. 















THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


49 


granted that you are calling. For instance, you are hold¬ 
ing a calling hand like this: 2, 3, 4, 5 bamboos. The 
number of chances is six. Should you draw a 6 bamboo 
and discard the 2 bamboo, the number also remains six; 
but by doing this, you are giving people some inkling as 
to what probable cards you need. Therefore, discard the 

6 bamboo as soon as you draw it. But if you can increase 
the number of chances, the case is different. For instance, 
the number of chances in a hand like this, a pair of 1 circles 
and 2-4 characters, is four. If you draw a 5 character, 
you should discard the 2 character, thereby increasing 
the number of chances to eight. 

It is possible sometimes to mislead people by the fol¬ 
lowing play: Suppose you are calling the character suit. 
You now draw a circle. Place this circle among your 
other cards, pretend to hesitate which card to throw out, 
and finally discard the circle. 

How to Fish the Single Eye. That fishing the single 
eye is a bad policy has been explained before. If it can 
be avoided, it should always be avoided. 

There are two classes of cards that are easier to fish 
than others. The first class is composed of those cards 
that people will generally discard. It consists of winds 
and end tiles, as well as honors. The second class includes 
those cards whose connections with other cards have 
been cut off. For instance, if three 5 bamboos and three 

7 bamboos have been exposed on the table, either through 
punging or discarding, the connections of the 6 bamboo 
with other bamboos have been greatly lessened. 

In fishing the single eye, the stage of the course of the 
game has also to be taken into account. Earlier in the 
game, one can fish a card which has been discarded once, 
for players like to follow old cards. Later in the game, 
one should fish a new card; this is done partly to prevent 
somebody from completing his hand. 

Sometimes three or four players in the game do not 
take proper care in shuffling the cards well. They build 
their walls as a matter of course. The result is that similar 


50 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


cards are put together in adjoining places. In playing 
with such a group, advantage should be taken of this 
fact when fishing the single eye by changing every card 
one draws. 

Above all, always fish the card that you are sure to 
get. For instance, you know that A is breaking up the 
combination 1-2 bamboos. You know it because, when 
he discarded the 1 bamboo, he also at the same time 
removed one other card to the right-hand corner, ready 
to be discarded in his subsequent turn. Then if you 
should draw a 2 bamboo (or 3 bamboo), keep it and lie 
in wait. Or again, you know that A is already calling, 
and suddenly C discards a card, which A pungs with his 
pair of eyes and throws out an 8 character. Then you 
should know that he is fishing the 9 character; it could 
not be the 7 character, or else he would not have punged 
his pair of eyes. If you should draw a 9 character, keep 
it and lie in wait; for as soon as A draws a more favorable 
card, he will discard his 9 character. 

Mental Calculation. In building up an all-one-suit 
hand, where the average player falls most short is in his 
slowness in finding out all the possibilities of the hand. 
As a result, he arranges his cards this way and that way, 
and thus leaves no doubt as to the true character of his 
hand. One must learn to decide by the mind, without 
the help of the hands, when it is necessary to pung and to 
chow, and which card to discard, and, while calling, what 
are the possibilities. He must learn to play this hand as 
naturally as when playing a usual hand, so that not a 
trace of suspicion can be excited. It is strongly urged 
that every player should in his leisure hours arrange 
various hands of the sort, and learn to decide on these 
things quickly and naturally. 


CHAPTER VII 

Luck: Its Phenomena 

Superstition and Luck. Superstition is an attendant 
of ignorance. Primitive men attribute any phenomenon 
unsusceptible of explanation to a mythical super-being. 
The range of phenomena is so wide that superstition opens 
a world of its own and presents us with scenes, beings, 
and objects which are altogether new. Superstition works 
strongly on the mind as it arises naturally from the popular 
opinions of mankind. 

There are in many superstitions some unrecognized 
truth. “Note the superstitions associated with the cure 
of disease. . . . The explanation of the process, the 
potent influence of the subconscious mind, was, of course, 
not known but the fact was there, nevertheless. No one 
suspected the existence of such a thing as autosuggestion; 
so the benefit derived therefrom was logically ascribed to 
the supernatural. . . ,” 1 

Is there such a thing as luck? I must answer in the 
affirmative. Scientific explanation for its existence is not 
available; experience alone convinces me. Experience 
shows that luck is a fact just as the winds and the tides 
are; it shows that luck runs in cycles and that it goes to 
certain persons oftener than to others. If any one thinks 
that belief in luck is a superstition, let him know that 
there is a kind of superstition in which there is a “ modicum 
of fact.” 

Nature of Luck. Luck is of such nature that when it 
is rightly made use of, it will work wonders; but when 
wrongly made use of, it will result in disaster. One way 
of defining an expert player is, therefore, “one who 

1 Charles Platt, The Psychology of Social Life, p. 167. 


51 


52 


\THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


knows how to play according to his luck.” Luck is not 
only true of Mah Jong, but also of any game in which 
the element of “chance” exists. In fact, Mah Jong is 
not the best game in which luck is applied most effectively; 
and so far as I know, poker affords a better advantage 
for its right application. In the latter, there are both the 
absolute and the mechanical means of evading bad luck, 
while in the former, there are only the mechanical ones. 
When probing deeply into the nature of luck, we find 
that it possesses certain characteristics. 

The Luck Cycle. Experience shows that luck runs in 
a certain noticeable course — in periods. A period of 
good luck declines and is followed by a period of bad luck 
and vice versa. It is not unlike the business cycle; for in 
business activity, the cycle has its stages of depression and 
of prosperity; depressions pave the way for revivals, 
revivals develop into “booms,” “booms” breed crises, 
and crises run out into depressions. 

The manifestation of the period of good luck need 
scarcely be mentioned. It is designated by a series of 
wonderful hands, honors and own winds forming in pairs 
and in triplets. You woo frequently and, when you do not 
woo, you make a great deal of gain simply by comparing 
scores. The cards seem to run so naturally that each one 
drawn in is useful. You may have a poor hand to start 
with and others may be calling from the very beginning; 
but eventually you overtake them. You may have only 
one possibility to complete the hand and the others may 
have two or three; but mathematical probability does not 
tell the true story in this case. When you are calling the 
same card as one of your adversaries, you are always in 
such a position as to hold the precedence. 

The period of bad luck is just the opposite. You can 
scarcely improve your hand as the game proceeds; and 
more scarcely still can you hold an excellent hand. Once 
in a while when you do hold a wonderful hand, it is apt 
to be overshadowed by the fact that somebody’s hand is 
more wonderful than yours. Under such circumstances. 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


53 


you are bound to lose on your strong hand, for, having a 
strong hand in your possession, you do not care to break 
it up, and you begin to let off the cannons that are left 
and are useless to the completion of your hand. So the 
person holding that more wonderful hand has his cards 
completed, displaying all the majesty of a full house. 

Luck as Depending on Individuals. There are two 
classes of persons who have unusually good luck. 

One class is the beginners. The phrase “beginner’s 
luck” is often heard of nowadays; perhaps its truth is 
also believed by many, and rightly so. It seems as if 
Fortune, seeing that beginners are likely to be preyed 
upon by the more experienced, purposely compensates 
them with better luck. Thus equipped with a strong 
weapon, the beginners will usually win at their first 
sittings; and, flushed with victory, they will become more 
eager and enthusiastic about the game. 

To the second class belong those who always have good 
luck. They need not necessarily be beginners; they may 
have played the game for years, but still have luck because 
they are born with it, so to speak. Their luck is phenome¬ 
nal and almost beyond belief. The luck cycle does not 
seem to apply to them; their luck continues day after 
day, comes to a brief close only after a long duration, and 
commences anew the next day. 

Facts Substantiating the Luck Phenomena. To those 
who think it absurd to believe in luck, let me say that the 
player who is disinclined to believe in luck is the easiest 
man to beat. Gambling is like any successful business; 
go to the limit under favorable conditions and lessen the 
risks during adverse periods. 

Let me point out how poker players lose their money; 
I mean to say, how they lose when playing among honest 
players, for there is no earthly chance for any one if he 
fights against card-sharpers. Here is a man who employs 
a conservative style of play under ordinary or favorable 
conditions. At times when he has no luck, he loses; and 
if now he can play a more conservative style, he will not 


54 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


lose any heavy amount at the end. Being disinclined to 
believe in luck or being ignorant of it, he wants to recover 
the little amount of loss. He leads in building big pots 
and he never takes one. If he has a fairly strong hand he 
raises his opponent; his opponent, being an expert, over¬ 
laps his first raise very slightly, in the hope of getting a 
second one. He thinks this a good chance to recover all 
his losses and gives a second raise, on obtaining which 
the expert bets heavily. And so, the more he loses, the 
more reckless becomes his betting; or, perhaps we should 
say, the more reckless becomes his betting, the more he 
loses. He shows temper, but temper and luck simply 
cannot co-exist. 

Some critics argue that luck is a false faith instilled 
by professionals in a number of victims who thus hold the 
belief that they are born lucky; in this way, they say, an 
enormous fortune might be made from them. But, in 
reality, luck is a sound doctrine, and only experience can 
show its existence. All professionals have some notions 
of luck because they have been convinced through experi¬ 
ence. Certainly they would not reveal their doctrine to 
others; rather would they conceal it as far as possible. 
Whatever these critics or masters of probability may say, 
whether they term the luck theory another form of the 
“gambler’s fallacy ” 1 or a false faith for the exploitation 
of victims, yet I think I have not taken a wrong step in 
explaining the luck phenomena. 

What Some Well-known Writers on Probabilities 
Have to Say 

Laplace — “In a long series of events of the same 
kind the single chances of hazard ought sometimes to 

ir rhe gamblers believe it extremely difficult to throw a number of 
the die several times in succession. If a die is thrown and the number 
“4” turns up, even though the chances are 1 to 6 that the next throw 
will produce a “4,” such gamblers are willing to bet something more than 
the usual odds against it. This is sometimes called the “gambler’s 
fallacy.” 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


55 


offer the singular veins of good or bad luck which the 
majority of players do not fail to attribute to a kind of 
fatality. It happens often in games which depend at the 
same time upon hazard and upon the competency of the 
players, that that one who loses, troubled by his loss, 
seeks to repair it by hazardous throws which he would 
shun in another situation; thus he aggravates his own ill 
luck and prolongs its duration. It is then that prudence 
becomes necessary, and that it is of importance to con¬ 
vince oneself that the moral disadvantage attached to 
unfavorable chances is increased by the ill luck itself/’ 1 
William Rouse—• “There is another inestimable gem, 
of nearly equal value in the production of riches, which is 
desired by all, sought after by many, and has been actually 
found by more persons than there are saints in the Roman, 
or gods in the heathen, calendar; that is, luck. It is true, 
a set of needy fellows, called mathematicians, laugh at 
it; but, laughter is not logic; and they are as likely to be 
actuated by envy, as any other set of beings: and, as the 
fox did with the grapes, speak ill of what he could not 
obtain. . . .” 2 


1 Marquis de Laplace, A Philosophical Essay on Probabilities, trans¬ 
lated by Truescott and Emory, p. 164. 

2 Wiiliam Rouse, Doctrine of Chances, Preface, p. 4. 


CHAPTER VIII 


Application of Luck 

In the last chapter, we have discussed the phenomena 
of luck. We have seen how luck runs in cycles; we have 
furthermore noticed how certain individuals have better 
luck than others. The question now arises: If such were 
luck, what could you do with it? The answer is, we play 
a different game during the different periods of the luck 
cycle. This is what I call “utilizing the period of good 
luck to the greatest extent and minimizing the losses in a 
period of ill luck.” 

Blackbridge’s Opinion. John Blackbridge, in his 
“Complete Poker Player,” devotes a chapter to the ad¬ 
vantage of the small-limit game in draw poker. In this 
chapter he incidentally refers to the subject of luck. So 
valuable is his criticism that it is thought advisable to 
publish it in full. 

“Baron Rothschild’s maxim is in this connection a 
golden one for Poker-players—‘Cut short your losses; 
let your profits run on.’ In other words, do not back bad 
luck at all, and let good luck have a large swing. When 
you are in bad luck you are on the high road to poverty, 
although you may be at a great distance from it, but still 
you are on a road which you cannot afford to travel; 
therefore don't travel it any faster than you are obliged to , 
and remember, when you are in ill luck, you are apt to 
lose on strong hands.” 1 

Utilizing the Period of Good Luck to the Greatest Extent. 
We will be more optimistic and begin with the period of 
good luck.* In this period it is advisable to attempt to 

^lackbridge’s Complete Poker Player, p. 25. 


56 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


57 


build up strong hands, as far as possible. Evidently, it is 
several times more difficult to complete a strong hand 
than an ordinary hand. But when you are in luck, the 
cards will come all the way to suit you. You get whatever 
you desire. Try to go for those high-scoring hands, such 
as all-one-suit hand, the “Three Great Scholars,” etc., if 
the least chance affords. Luck knows no odds; if good 
luck is not utilized to its utmost, the most opportune 
moment will be lost. To take a concrete instance, your 
hand consists entirely of characters except a straight of 
bamboos. Now if you know that you are in luck, the 
best policy is to break up this straight. To your great 
surprise, you will find that almost every draw will bring 
in a character to replace a bamboo. Soon you will find 
that your hand will consist of all characters, the com¬ 
pletion of which will give you three doubles. 

Another point to remember is to chow less often than 
usual but to make as many draws as possible. Do not 
be tempted when you have a chance to make a straight, 
but draw your card, for you may be sure that anything 
you draw will be useful. Chowing a discard involves a 
shifting of cards: your cards are shifted to the right-hand 
person. And here is the most interesting point. The 
shifting of your cards to the right-hand person would 
sometimes mean the shifting of your luck to him. Through 
your eager desire to chow a card, your luck declines, while 
his thrives. Therefore, by all means, do not chow more 
than it is absolutely necessary. When the combination is 
both-ended, and when the game is at its beginning, this 
point is especially important. 

Generally speaking, it is good policy to keep the odd 
honors and your own wind while in luck, so that you can 
increase your score. There are, however, cases in which 
this is not desirable. The chance to complete a hand con¬ 
sisting at the start of more than two different honors and 
two or more different winds is rare. To discard the honors 
and the winds and to keep the “numbers” suits is known 
as “playing long”; to discard the latter and to keep the 


58 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


former is known as “playing short/* The two methods of 
playing must fit the occasion. In luck and with a hand 
such as just described, you should “play long” so as to 
enable you to woo. Without luck you cannot woo no 
matter what method you use. You should “play short,” 
for while you do not expect to win, you do expect to 
prevent others from scoring a large hand. 

Taking chances means doing something without due 
regard to the connection between cause and effect; it 
means assuming risks without sufficient odds. It is, there¬ 
fore, bad policy to take chances in any game. For instance, 
suppose the end of the game is approaching, and if you 
will let off a cannon in your hand, you will have a calling 
hand. Taking such a chance is bad policy, since the odds 
are overwhelmingly against you. One is, however, justi¬ 
fied in taking a risk in the following cases: (1) If he him¬ 
self holds a high-scoring hand; but then it will no longer 
be taking a chance, for the odds guarantee the action. 
(2) If he is in the period of good luck. The calculation of 
odds can be for the moment ignored, for luck is an unfailing 
factor. 

How to Lose the Minimum in a State of III Luck. “ When 
you are in bad luck, you are on the high road to poverty. 
. . . Therefore don’t travel it any faster than you are 
obliged to.” After a few hands have been played off, 
you ought to be able to tell whether you are in luck or not. 
I shall mention the following cases, just to show you some 
of the symptoms of ill luck. You have been calling from 
the very beginning, and logically you ought to win your 
hand, but the result proves to be the contrary. You are 
calling on a one-sided combination ( i.e ., 1-2 circles, calling 
the 3 circle), and some one draws a 3 circle to form a 
hidden four of a kind. You are calling on a both-ended 
combination, and some one happens to be in position to 
take the precedence to win over you on a middle com¬ 
bination. When these and other symptoms of ill luck 
occur, it is time for you to be very cautious. Safety first 
is the best policy to follow, until your luck changes. 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


59 


When bad luck comes, your policy should be just the 
opposite of what you should do in the period of good luck; 
let a conservative policy, defensive game, dominate your 
play. Instead of attempting to build up strong hands, 
you should be satisfied with small ones and try to com¬ 
plete them as quickly as possible. Do not say, as many 
would, after losing a thousand points: “How could I 
come back when my hands are worth from 12 to 14 
points each time?” The fact is, instead of paying a heavy 
loss, you are making from 48 to 56 points each time. 
Here the element of patience comes in. A person who, 
while in ill luck, can patiently await his more fortunate 
time, is the hardest person to beat. The statement is 
positively true in all games. It explains why in such a 
game as poker, a conservative player always beats a 
reckless one. To a conservative player, bluffing is an 
erratic procedure; time is his favor. 

Changing of Luck — Mechanical Means. To be willing 
to win on small hands, or in other words, to have patience, 
is probably the most important thing to bear in mind 
when in ill luck. This method is what I call the “positive” 
method of evading bad luck. It has the principle of the 
“stay out” method in poker; as every poker-expert 
knows, money is not lost by staying out but by actual 
playing; so this “stay out” method is the most effective 
method ever developed by a patient player in the game of 
poker. But in Mah Jong, no one can stay out; and so 
there can be no “absolute” method of evading bad luck, 
in the poker sense. 

A number of mechanical or artificial methods for the 
changing of ill luck have been advanced by Chinese 
experts. Before further analyzing these methods, one 
might ask: How could luck ever be changed from its 
natural course? We shall get our answer from the experi¬ 
enced poker-players. If a player can adhere to the “ stay 
out ” method, he can have no fear of losing any considerable 
amount; that is, what he loses is the small amount of 
antes chipped in each deal. Simple enough; yet, in actual 


60 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


practice, certain difficulties present themselves. In the 
first place, there is a limit to everybody’s patience. No 
one can have the patience to sit two or three hours with¬ 
out once in a while entering a pot. In the second place, 
sportsmanship demands that a gentleman shall not stay 
out too long. What, for instance, would you think of a 
gentleman who in stud comes in only with a pair back 
to back, or in draw only with two big pairs and up? Such 
a gentleman will soon find that his presence is shunned 
by all. Therefore, even in poker, the absolute method 
can be used only to a certain degree. The experts have 
discovered that, if one can successfully bluff several times 
or if one can outguess or outplay his opponents decisively, 
his luck will gradually change. Such means are what I 
term mechanical means. 

So, to return to Mah Jong, we have the following 
mechanical means for the changing of ill luck. 

(1) Checking the seeds to 'prosperity. When a player 
woos very frequently, or when he prevents somebody 
from completing a strong hand, either by holding his 
calling card accidentally or by wooing before him, luck 
is gradually becoming his. This is a critical moment, for 
seeds to prosperity are germinating. Necessary steps 
must at once be taken to terminate this ascendency of 
luck. 

The method is, should you have his wind, hold it 
firm to the end, even to the extent that by discarding this 
single wind of his, you will be calling. Also hold all the 
honors. The reason for so doing is that frequently a 
person in luck already gets a pair or pairs of such cards 
from the original deal, usually a pair of his own winds. 
Should he sit below you, use the checking method; should 
he sit above or opposite you, follow all his discards. After 
he has experienced this harsh ordeal two or three times, 
you may be reasonably sure that the root of his luck is 
destroyed, and that further luck is coming into your 
favor. 

(2) Shifting the good luck of an opponent to yourself. 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


61 


The method consists of the shifting of the cards of an 
opponent to you. Sometimes, such shifting would mean 
the shifting of his luck to you. 

A. If the right-hand 'person is in luck. Should your 
Ze/2-hand person discard a card which under ordinary 
circumstances you would chow, do not take it; for this 
process involves a shifting of cards, i.e., the cards of the 
right-hand person are shifted to you. 

B. If the left-hand person is in luck. Under ordinary 
circumstances, nobody ever takes a card from his left- 
hand person to his already completed straight. For 
instance, if you already have in your hand a straight made 
up of 4, 5, 6 circles, you would never chow a 3 circle and 
discard your 6 circle; for then you would waste a chance 
for improving your cards. But when the circumstances are 
such that your left-hand person is in luck while you are 
not, then sacrifice your chance of the draw and chow his 
3 circle. This process involves a shifting of cards, i.e., 
the cards of the left-hand person are shifted to you. 

C. If the opposite person is in lucky pung his discard 
which under ordinary circumstances you would not pung. 
For instance, if you have 6, 7, 7, 8, 9 circles, the best play 
generally is to let 7, 8, 9 circles stay as one straight and 
wait for either a 5 or an 8 circle to complete another 
straight. But when luck is such as above described, pung 
the 7 circle should your opposite person discard one. 
This process involves a shifting of cards; his good cards 
are shifted to you while your bad ones go to him. 


CHAPTER IX 

Some Speculative and Experimental Calculations 

Some Basic Computations. The following computa¬ 
tions are necessary in formulating some of my theoretical 
problems. 

First, let us find out the number of cards that are used 
in play. There are in all 136 cards. Each person takes 
13 in the deal, 1 making a total number of 52. Dead or 
undrawn cards number 14. Therefore, 136 —(52 + 14) is 
the number of cards used in play; the result is 70. 

The number of draws by each person in a game, 
assuming that an equal number be drawn by each one, 2 
is 70+-4 or 17.5. 

But in actual play, the game is not always ended with 
last card drawn. Sometimes a person completes his hand 
at the very beginning; sometimes no one ever wins after 
the last card is drawn. Many factors enter into considera¬ 
tion here; among which is that there are more drawn 
games when four experienced players play together than 
when four beginners are engaged in the game. By observ¬ 
ing actual games a number of times, I have come to the 
conviction that the average game ends with 17 rows (not 
including the dead cards) left undrawn. 3 Therefore, the 
number of draws by each person in an actual game 
averages approximately (70 — 34) + 4, which equals 9. 

The Average Original Hand Calculated Experimentally. 
To find out the average original hand obtained from the 
deal mathematically would be an extremely difficult task; 
the process would necessitate an intricate system of 

*East Wind takes 14, but that is because he starts the play first. 

2 When a player chows, he does not draw. When a player pungs, he 
does not draw, and one or two players may lose their turns to draw. 
Consequently, the players do not all draw the same number of cards. 

a This conclusion is reached after observing 60 rounds of play. 


62 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


63 


formulae. I have therefore chosen to do the task experi¬ 
mentally. First, I made an arbitrary classification of 
different types of hands, as follows: 

(1) A hand consisting of 8 cards of the same ‘ 4 num¬ 
bers” suit, and 5 indifferent cards. 

(2) A hand consisting of 9 cards of the same 44 num¬ 
bers” suit, and 4 indifferent cards. 

(3) A hand of 8 odd heads and ends. 

(4) A hand of 9 odd heads and ends. 

(5) A hand consisting of one pair of honors or own 
winds, the rest being either (a) well organized or (6) 
poorly connected. 

(6) A hand consisting of two pairs of honors or own 
winds, or a set of three honors or own winds. 

(7) A hand consisting of more than two pairs of 
honors. 

(8) A hand consisting of (a) four or more pairs or 
threes of anything except honors and winds. ( b ) Three 
pairs and a pair of honors and own winds. 

(9) A calling hand. 

(10) A hand having none of the above features, but 
well organized. That is, as soon as one or two improve¬ 
ments are made, the hand is ready to call. 

(11) Same as (10) but only fairly well organized. 
That is, the hand usually has 3 or 4 odd cards, one or two 
pairs, both-ended and middle combinations, one or two 
straights; etc. 

(12) Same as (10) but poorly organized. The hand 
usually has more than 4 odd cards, and most of the com¬ 
binations are middle or one-sided. 

(13) A very poor hand, still worse than (12). 

Then, with the help of some of my friends, 2,000 

hands were dealt in the regular manner, as if we were 
actually playing. Each hand was opened, examined, and 
assigned to one of the types. 

The mode which occurs with the greatest frequency 
was found to be of type (11). Type (11) came first with 
705, closely followed by type (12) with 648; while type (9) 


64 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


with the quantity zero in its favor ranked lowest. All 
the results are shown in the following table: 


Type 

Name 

Total 

Number 

% 

1 

Eight cards of the same suit. 

44 

2.2 

2 

Nine cards of the same suit. 

5 

.25 

3 

Eight odd heads and ends. 

19 

.95 

4 

Nine odd heads and ends. 

4 

.2 

5 

One pair of honors 1 



5 

(a) The rest well organized. 174 




( b ) The rest poorly organized. 167 

341 

17.05 

6 

Two pairs of honors or a three of honors.... 

68 

3.4 

7 

Better than two pairs of honors. 

9 

.45 

8 

(a) Four or more pairs. 14 




(b) One of the pairs being honors.... 4 

18 

.9 

9 

Calling hand. 



10 

Ordinary hand, well organized. 

79 

3.95 

11 

Fair ordinary hand. 

705 

35.25 

12 

Poor ordinary hand. 

648 

32.4 

13 

Very poor ordinary hand. 

60 

3 


To Determine the Relative Advantage and Disadvantage 
of Retaining an Honor in Favor of Some Other Tile. In 
giving preference to an honor by retaining it and dis¬ 
carding some other tile, there is a chance of your score 
being doubled; however, this is done through sacrificing 
the speed of completing the hand. How, then, are we 
going to determine the relative advantage and disad¬ 
vantage of so retaining an honor? 

One determining factor is luck. As we have said before, 
we must play our honors according to good or ill luck, for 
luck defies all mathematical reasonings. 

Assuming equality of luck, what would then become 
the probable advantage or disadvantage? The comparison 
is between speed and the score being doubled. Now, it 
is a known fact that end tiles cannot help in speeding up 
the hand to any great extent; and so the comparison 
would narrow down to a choice between an honor and a 

*In this table, “honor” is used to include honors and own winds. 
























THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


65 


middle tile. Let us suppose that you are holding a red 
honor at the start. What is the probability of your 
drawing a second red honor if you are to retain it to the 
end? And having retained your red honor, what is the 
probability of obtaining the all-important one by punging 
or drawing? 

In the 136 cards there are four red honors, of which 
one is in your hand of 13, leaving three in the remaining 
123. This means that out of every 41 cards there should 
be one red honor, although it is quite possible that all 
three may be in the dead rows; or they may be in one of 
the players’ hand; or again two of them may be in the 
tiles for drawing and one in the dead rows; or other similar 
possibilities. Now the number of cards held by your 
opponents being 39, the probability of their holding a 
red honor is 39/41 or 1; dead tiles being 14, the probability 
is 1/3; this leaves 12/3 red honors in the cards for draw¬ 
ing. Since four players are in the game, the probability 
of your drawing a red honor is 1/4 of 1 2/3 or 5/12. That 
is to say, your chance of drawing an honor to match your 
first honor is less than once in two hands. And yet this 
calculation assumes that the game invariably ends with 
the last card drawn, which is not true in actual play; 
hence even the most liberal estimate would place your 
chance at less than 1/3. 

The next question is, what is the probability of getting 
the third honor? At this point, mathematical calculation 
is almost impossible. Having one pair, you are now 
dependent on the other three players to discard the third 
honor, unless you are fortunate enough to draw it your¬ 
self. The general rule is, the earlier you obtain your pair, 
the more chance you have to pung it. 

Let us next see how a middle tile, say a 4 circle, aids 
speed. Five cards will turn this single 4 circle into useful 
combinations, namely, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 circles. 

The conclusion is now clear. Speed should not be 
sacrificed on account of the scant chance to double the 
score. 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


Exceptions to the Above Rule. If you had one double 
or the possibility of having one double in your hand it 
would be worth while to retain an honor for a second 
double. A second double doubles the total score already 
doubled; a third double doubles the product again. If 
the original score is 20 points, one double will make it 40 
— an extra of 20 points; but a second double will give you 
an extra of 60 points, not 40; and a third double will make 
the total score 160 instead of 80. 

With a very large score, say that resulting from 4 
of 9 characters concealed, it would also be worth while to 
retain an honor for the same reason. 

To Determine the Least Number of Cards of the Same 
“ Numbers ” Suit on the Original Hand Before Trying for 
an All-One-Suit Hand. Without considering the element 
of luck, let us proceed with the problem. 

Many players estimate the number at 7, but I think in 
the long run it does not pay to try with this small number; 
a paying proposition would require 8 cards to begin with. 

Two questions must be considered. To what extent 
can we rely on completing the hand on our own draws? 
And to what extent can we rely on chowing and punging 
the discards of the other three players? 

We will suppose that you are trying for a hand of 
all bamboos. The number of bamboos is 36 against 98 
non-bamboos; the ratio is 1 to 2.72; but the fact that you 
are working for an all-bamboos means a predominance of 
that suit in your hand and lessens its number outside; 
and so the more approximate ratio would be 1 to 3. 
Out of every four draws then, you should obtain one bam¬ 
boo. Referring to the basic computations, each player 
draws nine times in an average game; this makes the num¬ 
ber of your drawn bamboos at 2.25. 

The most that you can depend on chowing and punging 
is two bamboos, and no more. With 9 cards of the same 
suit on the table, no one is allowed to discard any more 
of that suit; it is bad policy to call on a hand under such 
restrictions unless there is no alternative. 


67 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 

To begin with 7 bamboos would mean that by the 
time when some player has won the game, your hand 
would consist of 11.25 bamboos. You would be too late. 
To begin with 8 bamboos would mean a hand of 12.25. 
This is better. There is hope if the game lasts longer than 
usual, and if by chance you have drawn more than your 
share. 

Fallacy of Consistent Playing for High-scoring Hands. 
We often meet Mah Jong players who hold the opinion 
that consistent playing for high-scoring hands is the only 
sound way of playing the game. They base their argu¬ 
ment on the theory that it takes a great many hands 
scoring 12 to 20 points to offset a hand scoring 200 points 
or over. If out of ten games the person playing for a low- 
scoring hand averaging 16 points each completes his hand 
nine times, and the person playing for a high-scoring hand 
completes but once, the latter wins. All this sounds very 
well, but in practice it is generally the persons who hold 
this idea who come out with a minus score; and if the cause 
of failure is asked, they blame their luck. This is inevitable 
because the human mind habitually leads one to over¬ 
estimate one’s own skill and underestimate that of one’s 
opponents, to underrate one’s own luck and overrate that 
of the others. 

In this case, faulty calculation of probabilities rather 
than luck is to be blamed. The average hand lies some¬ 
where between types (11) and (12), i.e., a hand more or 
less unorganized with its suits all mixed up and without 
pairs or honors. To expect to build up a strong hand with 
such cards from nine draws, which is the average, is 
absurd. 

The reader may be inclined to think that I am an 
advocate of playing for fast and small hands, but this is 
not true. Good original hands are rare; and if such hands 
do occur, every opportunity should be seized to develop 
them into high-scoring hands. Mention here must be 
made that the policy of playing each hand must be planned 
from the start, because of the limited number of draws 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


to modify a hand to any great measure, although it should 
be observed that one's original plan of campaign is often 
altered owing to the opponents’ discards and other 
conditions. 

The Improvement hy the Draws of the Strong and Weak 
Hands is in Inverse Ratio. The chief factor that accounts 
for the development of the hand is the draw. However, 
the draw does not improve every hand in an equal ratio. 
A hand which is already well organized cannot receive 
as much benefit from the draw as a poor hand. In other 
words, the draw improves the strong hand and the weak 
hand, in inverse ratio to the strength and the weakness. 
Be this as it may, one must not be led to conclude that 
there would be no difference of value between original 
hands; for the draw can never set off the advantage of 
the initial momentum. 

From the above principle is evolved the rule that a 
player should not be too eager to chow early in the game, 
especially when the combination is both-ended. At this 
stage of the game, when there is lots of room for improve¬ 
ment, the draw would usually help the hand far better. 

Skill versus Chance. What is the relation between 
skill and chance in the game of Mah Jong? I shall attempt 
to discuss it but not to solve it; and I propose to submit 
this question for the solution of mathematicians. 

In a game of pure skill, such as chess or checkers, a 
player with a superior reasoning power, no matter how 
small the margin of superiority, always beats his opponent. 
It is only when he is not in form, when his brain is worn 
out with fatigue, that the superior player is beaten by 
the inferior. At the other extreme of the scale is a game 
of pure chance, such as tossing a coin. In a long series 
of bets between two persons, the result is, theoretically, 
that they will come out even. 

When we come to deal with a game of mingled skill and 
chance, we have a difficult problem before us. Let us 
compare Mah Jong with poker. Mah Jong is certainly a 
more complicated game than poker; and as such, there 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


69 


are more fine points, more varieties of plays, more chance 
laws, and, in short, more skill is required. But poker is 
more than a game of skill and chance; it is also a game of 
patience. Facing a streak of bad luck, the experienced 
player has only to stay out to cut out heavy losses, com¬ 
ing in occasionally with a strong hand. In poker if A’s 
skill is five per cent over B’s, “he will then ruin B if they 
play long enough, having chances in his favor of nearly 
thirteen to ten .” 1 This being the case, what is the relation 
of skill and chance in Mah Jong? And, still more specifi¬ 
cally, can this relation be expressed in terms of percentage? 


, Blackbridge’s Complete Poker Player, p. 79. 


CHAPTER X 
Mah Jong Psychology 

Subjective and Objective Observations. Mah Jong psy¬ 
chology begins with the usual methods of psychology. 
The ability to read the minds of your opponents requires, 
first of all, observation. 

Observation is not confined alone to observing others. 
All human beings are gifted with the same type of natural 
tendencies, emotions, instincts, impulses, etc. The reac¬ 
tion of an individual to a stimulus under a given circum¬ 
stance is about the same as that of another individual to 
the same stimulus under the same circumstance. Observa¬ 
tion by an individual of his own conscious action is called 
subjective or introspective observation. Let me illustrate 
the application of this principle. On opening the original 
13 cards and finding an excellent hand, I feel happy; and 
at the same time my feeling of happiness expresses itself 
by my smile. Later on, I have a very high-scoring calling 
hand. At this point, I find myself shivering; my hand 
trembles as it goes to the wall to draw a card; and my 
tone of voice changes. Next time, if I observe an opponent 
having similar reactions, I can safely infer that he has an 
excellent hand; it is not necessary for me to have seen 
his hand, in order to know this. 

However, to depend on subjective observation as the 
only method is not adequate. Since there are individual 
differences, the observations of one individual cannot be 
representative of all individuals. When the observer 
watches how his opponents react to different situations, 
the observation is objective. If we wish to make our 
conclusions as trustworthy and as applicable as possible, 
the two methods must be used together. The chief use of 
introspection will be that of corroboration. 


70 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


71 


Some Most Common Indications of Players' State of 
Mind. In Mah Jong a fast thinker always has the 
advantage over a slow thinker. A fast thinker allows his 
opponents no chance to observe his lines of thought, 
whereas a slow thinker, on account of his irregularity in 
the speed of discarding, too often betrays the true char¬ 
acter of his hand. In building up an all-one-suit hand, he 
arranges his cards in all sorts of ways. Another thing 
that a slow thinker generally does is this: He has a calling 
hand; he holds a white honor or something of the kind 
in his hand, looks at his cards for a while, and then dis¬ 
cards the white honor. To some it may mean that he is 
fishing the single eye, and that his delay is due to his 
thinking over whether fishing the white honor will have 
any advantage over another honor or wind. In truth, he 
is not fishing the single eye; his white honor is in no way 
connected with the rest of his hand; he delays in order to 
make sure as to how many possibilities there are in his 
calling hand. 

Certain remarks during the game may reveal some¬ 
thing in a player’s hand. Such expressions as “Who is 
the East Wind?” “Are you calling?” are some typical 
examples. Sometimes the expression is due to over¬ 
excitement. For instance, a player having a pair of red 
honors declares, “Pung,” when some one discards a green 
honor. 

From the way in which a player makes his discards, 
some knowledge of his hand may also be gained. If a 
player draws a bamboo and, with apparent disgust, dis¬ 
cards it with great rapidity, it may be safely concluded 
that he has no use at all for that suit. 

Attitude of Calling. It is curious to note that it is 
very common for every player to appear in some distinct 
physical attitude when calling, as if he were going to give 
out a special signal “I am calling.” One common posture 
is the sudden straightening of the back. Many a player 
has his attention suddenly concentrated upon the dis¬ 
carded cards in the center of the table, his eyes traveling 


72 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


here and there and then around the exposed groups of 
each player, to see how many chances are still left. 
Another group of players are carefree; such a player’s 
only interest is to note whether any one is making the 
right discard and whether he himself is drawing the right 
card. 

Maintaining the Right Kind of Attitude. The above 
discussion leads us to a single conclusion: a player must 
at all times maintain the right kind of attitude. Let 
every player draw and discard his cards in a uniform 
manner and at the same rate of speed, declaring “pungs” 
in a low, impassive tone of voice, conversing, when it is 
necessary, with an air of nonchalance. The eyes and the 
face are continually watched by the expert for informa¬ 
tion; it is therefore necessary to prevent these expressive 
features from telling tales. What is meant by “poker 
face” is nothing more than the control of the physiological 
impulses, so that information will not be shown. 

Psychology of Bystanders. To many players, by¬ 
standers are a menace to clear thinking. To keen experi¬ 
enced players, bystanders often prove to be agencies of 
news communication. A poor hand makes the bystanders 
show pity for the “under dog” holder, while a good hand 
makes them feel joyful, as though they themselves held 
it; and the keen observer by watching their facial expres¬ 
sions will draw conclusions that in most cases are correct. 
If a player has an exceptionally good hand, the bystand¬ 
ers behind him will experience an exceptional emotional 
excitement, and this excitement, because of its intensity, 
will soon attract the attention of other bystanders, so 
that when the whole crowd is behind one player, it is a 
conclusive proof of the excellent nature of his hand. 

Inductive and Deductive Reasonings. Inductive reason¬ 
ing is inference based on the observation of a number of 
individual cases. Deductive reasoning is inference from 
some general truth to the application of special cases. 
We employ, although we may not be aware of it, both of 
these reasoning processes every minute of the day. 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


.73 


In playing with comparative strangers, deductive 
reasoning is chiefly used. Principles that are generally 
true are applied. Most of the principles set forth in this 
book are general truths and can be adhered to. In play¬ 
ing with acquaintances, the use of inductive reasoning 
must be added. One should avail himself of the pecu¬ 
liarities characteristic of each player which one has 
observed through playing with him a number of times. 
A plays a mechanical game, and each of his discards can 
be taken as an indication of something. B consistently 
plays for high-scoring and “cleared” suit 1 hand, and 
special strategy must be used against him; for instance, 
if sitting to his right, one should keep those suits which 
he will not retain. C is a versatile player and more 
attention should be paid to him, for he always remains 
dangerous. 

In actual practice, there is no sharp line of demarca¬ 
tion as to where induction ends and deduction begins. 
In fact, as John Dewey points out, the two processes are 
in most instances joined together. Any complete act of 
thought involves both induction and deduction. 2 


^‘Cleared” suit hand means an all-one-suit hand or a mixed-one- 


suit hand. 

* John Dewey, How We Think, p. 80. 


CHAPTER XI 

Mah Jong Methods 

Though the origin of the Chinese game of Mah Jong 
is not definitely known, the history and development of 
the “cleared-hand” and “one-double” games could be 
traced, which offer several interesting points for discussion. 

When Mah Jong was introduced to the foreign resi¬ 
dents in China, many of the novices, who have grasped 
the elementary principles of the game, were greatly 
attracted by the glories of the “limit hands.” Instead of 
remembering that the object of the game is to “woo” 
or “mah jong,” they sacrified all in order to obtain one 
of these ideal hands, which they seldom succeeded due 
to the fact that other players were contented with winning 
with an ordinary hand. 

A method was then devised by these high-score hunt¬ 
ers, known as the “cleared hand,” whereby no player was 
allowed to woo, unless he had a hand containing only one 
suit, with or without “winds ” and “honors.” 

When these novices had acquired a better knowledge 
of the game, they began to realize the limitations of such a 
method. The principal drawback of the cleared-hand 
game is that, since it is required that a player must have 
a cleared suit in order to woo, he is obliged to discard tiles 
of the other suits even if he anticipates that his right- 
hand player is in need of cards of one of these suits to 
complete a hand. In other words, in this method, all that 
the player can do is to choose his longest suit and try 
to complete the hand with that suit, paying little attention 
to what the others are doing. 

The one-double method was then introduced as a 
modification of the cleared-hand game. The rule is that 
no player is permitted to mah jong unless he has at 


74 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


75 


least one double, not counting his own “Flowers” or 
“Seasons.” This system is an improvement on the one 
just mentioned. 

There is yet another method — the Chinese method — 
which many writers call the “mixed-suit” game. This 
term really does not describe the object of the game. It 
is true that in this mode, a player could mah jong with a 
hand consisting of cards of more than one suit, yet he is 
not forced to do so. He could, for instance, win with a 
one-double hand; or he could woo with a cleared hand. 
It is evident then that the original method allows the 
greatest freedom of play, which is the factor that aids 
the expert against the luck of the novice. 

When Mah Jong appeared in America, all the rules 
with variations came in with it. During the first few 
months of its existence, people were too busily engaged 
in attempting to learn the fundamentals to bother about 
discussing what was the best code of rules to follow. When 
they had made progress in their play, they were con¬ 
fronted with the variety of rules then prevalent. Heated 
controversy over these rules began so furiously, that the 
popularity of the game was threatened, until a set of 
standardized rules was made. The general headings under 
which the different codes are classified are, firstly, the 
cleared hand; secondly, the one double; and thirdly, 
the mixed suit or the original Chinese game. Mention 
has been made with regard to the unfortunate restrictions 
imposed on the first two methods. It suffices at this 
moment to deliberate upon a few of the salient points 
of the original game to show that if Mah Jong is to remain 
in this country, which it undoubtedly will, the Chinese 
method will be the one to outlast its rivals. 

Too much emphasis cannot be laid upon the object of 
the game, which is to organize a hand so that it will 
contain one pair of “eyes,” and four groups of sequences 
and or threes or fours of a kind. With this in mind, the 
player should do his best to woo at the shortest moment 
with a maximum score. To reach this goal, he is chal- 


76 


THE THEORY OF MAH JONG 


lenged by three other players, who are striving for the 
same end. Thus it is evident that a player should not 
only concentrate his attention in building up his own 
hand, but should also make an effort to prevent the others 
from improving theirs. This is especially important when 
an opponent shows all the symptoms of having a high- 
scoring or limit hand. 

To be able to play offensively at the same time defen¬ 
sively is the aim of the Chinese experts; it is also the 
nucleus around which good play is built. But alas, both 
the new methods indirectly tend to preclude this principle 
of defensive play because of the conditions imposed. 

It may be argued that playing with the Chinese rules, 
the scores are usually so small that it almost makes the 
game unattractive. But as a rule among experts, they 
play with a base score which varies between 50 and 100, 
instead of 10 or 20. This bonus score is decided at the 
beginning of the game, in the same way the “stake” or 
“limit” of other games is fixed. The increasing of the 
base score serves not only as a means of enlarging the 
stake, but also puts extra weight on the importance of 
“wooing,” which is the object of the game. 

Another question often raised is that of the Chinese 
scoring rules. Generally speaking there are two schools 
at variance, the liberal and strict constructionists, as 
shown in Chapter III. Nowadays Chinese experts indulge 
in the liberal method of play which is the method I 
recommend to the devotees in America. 



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